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CNN Live Saturday

Political Parties Take Sides on the Prescription Drugs Debate

Aired July 14, 2001 - 13:06   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DONNA KELLEY, CNN ANCHOR: The official business of Washington goes on. Improving health care for Americans is on the agenda today. For more on that, we go to CNN's Kelly Wallace. She is at the White House -- Kelly.

KELLY WALLACE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Donna, lawmakers are still grappling with one politically popular health care issue, and that is the patients' bill of rights. The House of Representatives is expected to take up the issue later this month.

Meantime, the debate is heating up over another politically popular health care issue, and that is helping seniors with their costly prescriptions. Both the president and the Democrats made this issue the focus of their weekly radio addresses.

Mr. Bush, who traveled yesterday to Johns Hopkins University Hospital in Baltimore to sell his proposals, says his new pharmacy discount drug card will provide almost immediate relief to seniors. Private companies would go ahead and sell these cards to Medicare beneficiaries, and in return negotiate lower prices with the drug manufacturers.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This is a straightforward, non-bureaucratic program, which can be can be in place by January. Everyone in Medicare will be eligible for a drug discount card, costing no more than $1 or $2 per month. Present this card at a participating pharmacy, and you'll receive a substantial discount, at least 10 percent. It's as simple as that, and it's convenient as well.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALLACE: The president says these new discount cards are a first step, not a substitute for a broader drug benefit, but Democrats say these cards won't really help seniors all that much, and they say the president is not specifically addressing the bigger problem, and that is providing drug coverage to seniors.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. TIM JOHNSON (D), SOUTH DAKOTA: Prescription drug prices are skyrocketing three, four, even five times the rate of inflation. In a recent study my office did on the increasing price of prescription drugs in South Dakota, costs rose dramatically in the past year, huge increases especially for senior citizens on fixed incomes. Prescription drug meetings I've had with South Dakotans continue to point to the same problems: do the individuals pay for their medication, or do they use their limited resources to buy groceries and pay the bills.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALLACE: Now, Congress is expected to take up this issue some time this summer, but big differences need to be worked out between the two parties over just how much drug coverage seniors should get and just how much money should be devoted to such a benefit -- Donna.

KELLEY: All right. Kelly Wallace at the White House, thank you.

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