Positions and Views of Mark Dayton
on Prescription Drugs
| Currently Elected Governor & Lt Governor, Minnesota |
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Mark Dayton's positions and views on the issues:
Links are only provided where we have information. The first link is a
report of all issues and questions made available to the candidates.
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List of Issues | Biographical | Reasons & Objectives
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| Prescription Drugs |
Positions and Views |
| Prescription Drugs, a General Statement |
Mark continues to advocate vigorously for greater access to affordable health care for all Minnesotans and Americans. One of his top legislative priorities in the Senate is to provide seniors and people with disabilities access to safe and affordable prescription drugs; he will continue to fight for a real drug benefit for those individuals under Medicare. Mark has also been a strong and consistent advocate for ending insurance companies' practice of discriminating against people with mental illnesses.
Mark will continue his fight for truly meaningful prescription drug benefits for America's seniors. Mark opposed the 2004 Medicare Reform bill, the only recent opportunity to assist Medicare recipients in purchasing their medicines, because it failed to provide affordable prescription drugs for all senior citizens and prohibited the federal government from negotiating lower drug prices with the pharmaceutical companies.
In an attempt to mitigate some of the problems caused by the flawed Medicare bill, Mark introduced legislation including the Unshackle Seniors Act of 2004, which would allow seniors to purchase more than one prescription drug card, and the Taste of Our Own Medicine bill, which would require Members of Congress to receive prescription drug benefits equal in value to the benefits received by Medicare beneficiaries under the Medicare Reform legislation.
Until Congress passes genuine prescription drug reform, Mark will continue to donate his Senate salary to fund his Rx Express bus trips, which transport Minnesota seniors to Canada throughout the year to purchase the safe, affordable medicines that they so desperately need.
In July, 2004, Mark re-introduced his Taste of Our Own Medicine bill, which would require that all Members of Congress receive prescription drug benefits equal in value to the benefits received by Medicare beneficiaries under the Medicare Reform legislation passed by Congress. In Mark's words, "If it is good enough for t [Response was truncated to maximum response length of 2000 characters.]
Source: Candidate Website (10/02/2004) |
| Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Program for Seniors |
Mark was shocked by the proposed 17 percent increase in Medicare premiums that will go into effect on January 1, 2005. He knows that an additional $11.50 per month in Medicare premiums will place an excessive financial burden on many senior citizens.
Therefore, Mark has joined with many of his Senate colleagues to introduce legislation to eliminate this exorbitant increase. Mark's legislation would prohibit the monthly percentage increases in Medicare premiums from exceeding the monthly percentage increase in Social Security retirement benefits.
One of the many flaws of the Medicare Reform legislation passed by Congress is the confusing and shortsighted prescription drug discount card program. This interim program was intended to bridge the gap until Medicare Reform is fully implemented in 2006. Under the program, seniors in Minnesota are required to choose one Medicare-approved discount drug card from among the 30 to 40 cards available in our state. That locked-in choice remains effective until the law takes full effect in January, 2006, regardless of whether the types of prescription drugs covered or the prices of the drugs covered change.
The Unshackle Seniors Act would allow seniors to purchase more than one prescription drug card. Further, if the drugs or prices of drugs covered by a particular card change, seniors would be able to drop that card and would receive a full refund of any enrollment fee.
Source: Candidate Website (10/02/2004) |
| Importing Prescription Drugs from Canada |
As older Americans await a real prescription drug benefit under Medicare, Mark continues to fund bus trips to Canada, enabling senior citizens to purchase safe prescription drugs at prices far lower than those charged in Minnesota and the rest of the United States. Mark donates his entire Senate salary to the Minnesota Senior Federation to pay for these trips to Canada for Minnesota senior citizens.
Mark believes it is shameful that our seniors must cross an international border to purchase safe and affordable prescription medicines. Mark will maintain his efforts to pass legislation to enable all seniors to purchase those same drugs from their local pharmacy at the same low prices charged in Canada.
Source: Candidate Website (10/02/2004) |
| These are available issue topics for which there were no responses. |
| Medicare Prescription Drug Plans |
| Safety of Prescription Drugs |
| Safety of Imported Drugs |
| Increasing Prescription Drug Competition |
| Negotiating Pharmaceutical Prices |
| Bringing Generic Drugs on the Market Sooner |
| Medicare Beneficiaries without Prescription-drug Coverage |
| Prescription Drug Marketing |
| Regulating Drug Advertising, Like Cigarettes and Alcohol |