NM Democratic Party Responds to Heather Wilson's Townhall Meeting Today

As Rep. Heather Wilson leads a townhall meeting on the Medicare prescription drug benefit today at the National Hispanic Cultural Center, it's useful to ponder the truth of the situation rather than her talking points provided by the RNC. Here are some facts from Matt Farrauto of the DPNM that provide a more realistic picture. Writing a letter to the editor on this seems like a great idea:

THE WILSON PLANS

Medicare:
The Medicare prescription drug benefit was passed by Congress in 2003.  The program is costly for those who enroll in it and that it will not provide much of a benefit.  The U.S. Health and Human Services website set up to help New Mexico seniors determine where they can purchase prescription drugs at a discount was rife with errors.* *A report prepared by U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Government Reform at the request of Senator Jeff Bingaman 

• Of 29 independent pharmacies listed as participating in the Medicare drug discount card  program, 18 were either closed or do not accept any of the various discount drug cards issued last year. 
• A state prison was erroneously listed as a participating pharmacy throughout 2004. 
• The Hima Bindu Smelse Mora Clinic was named as a participating pharmacy, despite the fact that they sell only herbal remedies, not prescription drugs. 
• Sixteen of the 29 pharmacies listed as participating in the drug discount card program were actually closed. 
• Only 11 pharmacies were identified correctly, yet even the information related to those contained errors.  In each of those cases, the pharmacy accepted either more of the drug discount cards than were listed, or fewer of them. 
• The discount cards, which seniors had to seek out and sign up for, were supposed to provide a $600 credit toward the purchase of prescriptions for the years 2004 and 2005, while the new Medicare prescription drug benefit is set up. 
• Only about 11,000 of the estimated 50,000 low-income New Mexicans would were supposed to benefit from these drug discount cards actually received them last year. 
• Over $23 million in prescription drug assistance to New Mexicans was lost in 2004 due to this failure.”
• By January 1, 2006, 6.4 million seniors nationwide who currently receive prescription drug coverage through Medicaid will have to sign up for the new Medicare prescription drug plan.  Medicaid is the federal health care program for the poor; Medicare is the federal health plan for seniors.   There will be just a six-week window, beginning on November 15, 2005, in which seniors will be allowed to sign up.
• Seniors will be inadvertently left out and left without any coverage at all. 
• Even if 80% of dual eligibles can e educated and correctly enrolled by January 2006, more than a million of the frailest Medicare beneficiaries will lack access to needed medications.

Social Security (A GOVERNMENT PROGRAM THAT WORKS):
Wilson voted for Bush’s 2006 budget, which also neglects to account for the difficult trade-offs between increases in the debt, benefit cuts, and tax increases necessary to fund the White House's privatization proposal.  In fact, the Wilson-supported House GOP budget raids the Social Security Trust Fund of more than $1.1 trillion over the next five years. [H. Con. Res. 95 Roll Call #88; CQ House Action Reports, FY 2006 Budget Res, 3/14/05] 

The GOP plan to establish private accounts requires borrowing nearly $5 trillion, largely from foreign countries, and increasing our debt for the next 50 years, threatening rising interest rates today, and raising taxes on our children and grandchildren tomorrow.  Bush’s privatization proposal would cut guaranteed benefits by more than 40 percent, and, as the nonpartisan U.S. Comptroller General recently confirmed, “would not improve the system’s financial situation and would ‘accelerate’ insolvency.” [Sammon/Fagan, Washington Times, 3/10/05]