For the week of August 27 - September 2, 2003

Senior senator meets county elders

Craig delivers on prescription drug benefits

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By MATT FURBER
Express Staff Writer

Dropping in for a visit with members of the Blaine County Senior Center Wednesday, Aug. 20, Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho, had a few words to say about healthcare to his audience of senior citizens.

As Chairman of the Senate Committee on Aging, Craig spoke about the modernization of Social Security and Medicare programs. He also hit on the need for adequate transportation for seniors once they lose their driving privileges due to the health problems of old age.

The main focus of Craig’s visit however was prescription drug benefits.

"Any plan I have seen so far is not really going to help the people who really need it," said Blaine County Senior Center Director Brenda Shappee. "We’re always concerned from a senior center standpoint that we receive the funding that is (promised) through the Older Americans Act."

Craig responded to Shappee’s concerns, acknowledging that there are citizens who spend hundreds of dollars every day on medicine, who are sometimes forced to choose between food and medicine. He said the issue goes beyond politics.

He said passing a prescription drug bill is just a matter of time.

Craig stressed that a program should not punish those who already have prescription coverage through their own insurance plans, and it should provide 90 percent coverage for seniors on incomes of $13,000 or less. A couple earning $18,000 together should have the same benefit.

House and Senate versions of prescription drug bills will be considered in conference committee when politicians return from their summer recess. Craig said even those bills leave 40 percent of seniors inadequately covered for prescription drugs.

As the next step to addressing senior healthcare issues, Craig believes a bill will be presented to the president for his signature this fall.

Giving his audience a glimpse into the future demand for senior healthcare in America, Craig rattled off a few facts. Today there are about 100,000 Americans who are 100 years old. By 2070 it is possible for there to be millions of centenarians. Craig said he was concerned about the burden the changing dynamic will put on future generations.

The government needs to make sure they are not saddled with the responsibility, he said.

One pressing concern for Craig is "direct consumer advertising" of prescription drugs by the pharmaceutical industry. Craig said he is concerned about the trend to market drugs to consumers, who will in turn demand them of their physicians. Craig worries that doctors may feel pressured to prescribe medicine that is inappropriate for their patients’ ailments.

Although he did say a benefit of the marketing might be that patients’ requests for certain medications may help physicians determine undiagnosed diseases.

Craig was cautious not to tread too heavily on drug companies, explaining that it is very expensive to develop new drugs. He said drug companies need to be encouraged to continue the development of drugs used to help treat rare diseases and diseases like cancer and Alzheimer’s.

Shappee encouraged Craig to continue his efforts on behalf of senior citizens and presented him with a red, white and blue "senior thinking cap" complete with a lightbulb, emergency whistle and "brain pills."

She said the approach to the care of senior citizens needs to change.

"There are so many senior centers that are stagnant," Shappee said. According to the Older Americans Act, seniors citizens should be the focal point of the community.

Shappee gave an example of how the Blaine County center is trying to interact more with its neighbors, explaining that students are going to be helping the seniors put their newsletter together.

 

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