6TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT Candidate touts Medicare drug coverage

By DAVID SKOLNICK
VINDICATOR POLITICS WRITER
SEBRING -- A bill to include prescription drug coverage as part of the Medicare program would pass in the U.S. House of Representatives in a heartbeat, said U.S. Rep. Ted Strickland, a Lucasville Democrat.
But the House's Republican leadership, the Bush administration and the powerful prescription drug lobby is holding back the proposal, Strickland said.
"Leadership is tying things up," he said. "It's the leadership in the House of Representatives that is keeping this issue off the floor so we cannot have a legitimate debate."
Strickland visited Copeland Oaks on Wednesday to speak to residents of the Sebring retirement community about his plan to include prescription drugs as part of Medicare, which a majority of senior citizens rely on for their medical coverage.
Strickland serves on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which plays a key role in developing national health-care policies. Also on the committee are U.S. Reps. Thomas C. Sawyer, an Akron Democrat, and Sherrod Brown, a Lorain Democrat.
About one-third of people older than 65 do not have drug coverage and thus many go without the use of drugs they need, Strickland said.
Bush proposal: The Bush administration is proposing a $97 billion, 10-year program that would provide prescription drugs for the nation's poorest people. Strickland said there are many people in the low- to moderate-income level who will be ignored by the Bush plan.
Strickland wants the federal government to spend $300 billion to $500 billion over the next 10 years to provide prescription drug coverage to those on Medicare who want the coverage.
"It will be necessary to charge a modest premium to pay for the increased coverage," Strickland added.
By providing drug coverage, the government will be able to negotiate prices for beneficiaries as a group like it does for veterans and Medicaid beneficiaries, Strickland said.
But drug companies oppose the plan because it would cut into their profits, he said.
Strickland, a four-term congressman, is running for the new 12-county 6th Congressional District seat that stretches from suburban Mahoning County and Columbiana County south along the state's eastern border.
skolnick@vindy.com