Statewide Campaign to Fix Bush's Medicare Prescription Disaster Launches Thursday

From :
Americans United, New Mexico PACE, Alliance of Retired Americans Launch Statewide Campaign to Fix Bush’s Part D Disaster, Release New Report on the Excess Cost of Rx Benefit in New Mexico

Seniors in New Mexico and nationwide are calling Bush’s Part D Disaster confusing, costly and corrupt and asking that the prescription drug benefit be fixed to make it simple, affordable and guaranteed. Despite the widely recognized failure of the Part D prescription drug plan, President Bush and his allies in Congress have refused to fix the disastrous law and the President has even launched a speaking tour to sell his failed plan.

Americans United, the Alliance for Retired Americans, and New Mexico Progressive Alliance for Community Empowerment (NM PACE) are launching the statewide “Campaign to Fix Bush’s Part D Disaster” at a press conference on Thursday, April 6, 2006 @ 11:00 AM at the Office of Heather Wilson, Member of Congress located at 20 First Plaza NW (the corner of Tijeras and Second Street) in Albuquerque, NM. These groups worked together in New Mexico and nationally to defeat the President’s Social Security privatization plan last year. The groups will also release a new report by the Institute for America’s Future that shows that Part D costs New Mexicans $5 Billion more than a direct Medicare benefit with negotiated prices.

Part D is a special interest law that puts drug and insurance companies ahead of seniors. It prohibits Medicare from negotiating for the lowest possible drug prices for seniors and denies seniors the choice of a simple prescription drug benefit directly from Medicare. New Mexico groups, led by the Alliance for Retired Americans and NM PACE, are launching the New Mexico Campaign to Fix Bush’s Part D Disaster to send a message to the President and his allies in Congress: Part D must be fixed now to put seniors first, not drug and insurance companies.

The groups will be holding rallies, press conferences and speak-outs across the state to urge the NM Congressional delegation to fix Bush’s Part D disaster.

EVENT DETAILS:
Event: Kick off New Mexico Campaign to Fix Bush’s Part D & Release Report Detailing the High Cost of the Part D Failure

Date: Thursday, April 6, 2006
Time: 11:00 AM
Location: Office of Congressperson Heather Wilson
20 First Plaza, suite 603 (corner of Tijeras and Second Street), Albuquerque, NM

Sponsors:
New Mexico Progressive Alliance for Community Empowerment (NM PACE)
Alliance for Retired Americans
Americans United

Contact:         
Santiago Juarez, NM PACE (505) 927-2734
Rose Peters, ARA  (505) 400-2904