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THE SENATE                           S.R. NO.              S.D. 1
TWENTIETH LEGISLATURE, 2000                                
STATE OF HAWAII                                            
                                                             
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                    SENATE  RESOLUTION
URGING THE UNITED STATES CONGRESS TO SUPPORT LEGISLATION TO
   EXTEND MEDICARE COVERAGE TO PRESCRIPTION DRUGS FOR THE
   ELDERLY AND DISABLED.



 1       WHEREAS, outpatient prescription drugs, which are not
 2   covered under Medicare, are a substantial out-of-pocket burden
 3   for many Medicare beneficiaries, as over one-third of
 4   beneficiaries have no coverage for prescription drugs; and
 5   
 6       WHEREAS, it has been argued that because roughly two-thirds
 7   of beneficiaries have some type of drug coverage from other
 8   sources, a Medicare drug benefit for all beneficiaries is not
 9   necessary; and
10   
11       WHEREAS, however, recent research has identified many gaps
12   in private drug coverage and the degree of protection it
13   affords; and
14   
15       WHEREAS, the Prescription Drug Fairness for Seniors Act
16   (Act) (H.R. 664/S. 731) would allow 39,000,000 Medicare
17   beneficiaries to buy prescription drugs at up to forty percent
18   of current retail prices; and
19   
20       WHEREAS, as of February 10, 2000, 138 House congressional
21   members and 12 Senate congressional members have co-sponsored
22   the Act, making it the most broadly supported drug reform bill
23   in Congress; and
24   
25       WHEREAS, this legislation would end price discrimination
26   among prescription drug makers against the elderly and disabled
27   on Medicare who have no or inadequate prescription drug
28   insurance coverage; and
29   
30       WHEREAS, a number of states have state-funded programs,
31   separate from Medicare, to assist elderly and disabled
32   individuals to purchase prescription drugs, however, Hawaii is
33   not among these states; now, therefore,
34   
35       BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twentieth Legislature
36   of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2000, that the
37   United States Congress is urged to support legislation to
38   extend Medicare benefits to include prescription drug coverage
39   for the elderly and disabled; and
40   

 
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                                  S.R. NO.              S.D. 1
                                                        
                                                        

 
 1       BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this
 2   Resolution be transmitted to the President of the Senate of the
 3   United States Senate, the Speaker of the United States House of
 4   Representatives, each member of Hawaii's Congressional
 5   Delegation, the State Director of Health, and the State
 6   Director of Human Services.