Rep. Costello has said he wants “Making Prescription Drugs Affordable for Seniors”

“One of the reasons why I opposed the Bush Administration's plan to offer benefit cards to seniors is because I don't think it will truly lower the cost. In the face of this program, the Administration announced that Medicare premiums would rise by almost 20% in 2005. That is why, in the last Congress, I cosponsored H.R. 3707 to give the Administration the power to negotiate with drug companies to lower the cost of drugs so our seniors don't have to import drugs from Canada or pay significantly higher prices for prescription drugs,” according to Rep. Costello.

MY RESPONSE:

Mr. Costello makes a good point that prescription drugs are too expensive in our country, but his suggestion is nothing more than a band-aid trying to stop a wound from bleeding. This is not just a senior citizen issue; it is the middle and lower income family problem as well. I am in total agreement that senior citizens are hit hard, but you need to look at all the facts. In this district only 15% are senior citizens; Mr. Costello doesn’t even recognize the other 85% who are struggling, even people who have insurance.
Our country needs to look seriously at implementing a Single Payer Health Care Insurance program. There are too many people without insurance, and many times those who do, such as senior citizens, still cannot afford prescriptions. I have talked to many seniors about their expenses. I personally know a senior citizen who requires medication that costs him over $400 a month out of pocket. This is not just a problem for seniors, as many people working don’t have insurance to cover daily required medication, and this causes a rippling effect by requiring more medical attention in the future.
By enacting a Single Payer Health Care program, everyone will have coverage, reducing the middleman, the insurance companies, and resulting in lower costs of medical care as well as medication. Many people want to compare this method to Canada where they indicate people are on waiting lists to get care. Proper planning of a program can prevent this; after all, this is nothing new in our current health care system. My late wife passed away waiting for care which was stalled 6 weeks because of insurance and doctor requirements. Many people suffer this same fate, but we can fix this if planning and procedures are put in place correctly. This means “project management expertise”, which I have, but the majority of our congressional leaders do not have. Elect me in November and allow me to work on making changes in how we implement projects, and to help other members of Congress appreciate the need to understand proper planning. Unless we do something soon, many more people will die for no reason!

Please pass this on to your friends, family, co-workers, and post places where possible to get the message out that District 12 needs a leader to pursue changes.