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THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary


For Immediate Release May 25, 2000

PRESIDENT CLINTON AND THE DEMOCRATIC LEADERSHIP URGE THE CONGRESS TO ACT NOW ON A MEDICARE PRESCRIPTION DRUG BENEFIT AND OTHER NATIONAL

PRIORITIES

Today, the President will meet with the Democratic leadership of the House and Senate to address national priorities that affect the health, safety, and economic security of the nation. In addition to addressing strategies for the passage of a strong, enforceable Patients' Bill of Rights, common sense gun safety legislation, and a simple $1 increase in the minimum wage, they will focus on the need to pass a voluntary, affordable Medicare prescription drug benefit available to all beneficiaries. The President will underscore his strong belief that a united Democratic party can help produce a strong prescription drug benefit that receives broad based, bipartisan support, and he will emphasize that the Congress should act on all of these national priorities this year. Finally, the President will say that he welcomes the Republicans' stated goal of developing a prescription drug benefit for all Medicare beneficiaries, but he will highlight why the approach they have outlined will not achieve this goal.

MILLIONS OF MEDICARE BENEFICIARIES HAVE NO OR UNDEPENDABLE PRESCRIPTION DRUG COVERAGE. Millions of seniors and Americans with disabilities have no prescription drug coverage and millions more are at risk of losing coverage, or have inadequate, expensive coverage.

A UNIFIED DEMOCRATIC FRONT PROVIDES THE FOUNDATION FOR BIPARTISAN CONSENSUS. President Clinton today will point out that a strong, unified Democratic position enhances the likelihood of passing a Medicare drug benefit, just as it helped to assure the eventual House passage of a strong, enforceable and bipartisan Patients Bill of Rights. He will state that the recent announcement of Democratic consensus on the details of a drug benefit should spur the Congress to move forward on this vital issue.

UNIFIED DEMOCRATIC SUPPORT FOR A NEW, PRESCRIPTION DRUG BENEFIT OPTION THAT IS AFFORDABLE AND AVAILABLE TO ALL BENEFICIARIES. The Democratic Caucus supports the passage of a new prescription drug benefit that is:

REPUBLICAN POLICY DOES NOT MEET THEIR STATED GOALS. Although the House Republican leadership recently recognized the need for an affordable, optional prescription drug benefit available to all Medicare beneficiaries, the President will note that the policy advocated by the House Republicans does not achieve their stated goals. The current House Republican proposal:

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