Patricia Madrid Delivers Democratic Radio Address

This week, New Mexico Attorney General Patricia Madrid was the first Democratic challenger of the 2006 cycle to to deliver the Democratic Radio Address.

To listen to the audio, click here.

I was at my local pharmacy here in New Mexico a few weeks ago, I was in line behind a senior who couldn't afford his prescription drugs.

It hurt me to see seniors in my own community asking the pharmacist for half-orders, so they can at least have some of their medicines.

I have elderly parents who rely on medication, and I know that the prices are astronomical. Like many Americans, I was pleased when the President and Congress decided to address this problem.

What I didn't know is that the Republican Congress would put the pharmaceutical companies in charge of the process, and write a law that serves their interests while making things harder for seniors.

In order to please the drug companies, who have contributed millions to Republicans in Congress, they wrote into the Medicare plan that the federal government cannot negotiate with the drug companies for lower prices.

Not only is this bad policy. It's bad economics.

The Veterans Administration negotiates with the drug companies for the medicines it buys. And the result is lower prices for veterans and taxpayers.

Big corporations like Target routinely use their purchasing power to drive down prices for consumers. But the Republican Congress banned our government from doing the same.

And rather than allowing Medicare to provide prescription drugs directly to seniors, the Republican Congress invited the health insurance industry into the process - and wrote a needlessly complicated law that has confused millions of seniors and their caregivers.

These same insurance interests have contributed millions of dollars to Republicans in Congress. The Medicare drug plan allows them to collect on their investment.

Now, seniors are learning that if they can't figure out the plan by May Fifteenth, they will have to pay a penalty complexity tax that will raise the cost of their coverage even higher.

If there was any doubt who benefited most from the Medicare plan, this ought to provide an answer:

The Republican Committee Chairman who guided the plan through Congress turned around and immediately became the top lobbyist for the pharmaceutical industry - at a multi-million dollar salary. He and his industry cashed in, while America's seniors and taxpayers are paying more.

Meanwhile, there are reports every day from across the nation that implementation of the plan has brought chaos to their health care. Many seniors have been forced from place to place and plan-to-plan to get life-saving medication. In many cases, state governments - and even individual pharmacists - have had to step in to fill the gap.

Rather than address the shortcomings of the prescription drug plan, the President and Republicans in Congress refused to fix it. But seniors and their loved ones across America know this plan isn't working. That's because it was written by the special interests for the special interests - not for the millions of seniors who need help.

We need a Congress willing to stand up to these special interests and do what's right for taxpayers and seniors. As Attorney General of New Mexico, I sued the drug industry for illegal price gouging. As a candidate for Congress, I have a plan to simplify the drug benefit, make it accessible to more seniors and fill the huge gaps in coverage that currently exist.

Because we think it's time to put people ahead of the special interests, Democrats are for fixing it now. Here's how:

Congress should require the federal government to negotiate with the drug companies for the lowest possible prices.

Congress should offer seniors simpler choices between plans including the choice of getting the benefit directly through Medicare.

And Congress should postpone the penalty complexity tax that kicks in on May Fifteenth, so seniors aren't forced to pay higher prices while trying to figure out this complex mess.

As an elected official, I've always believed that government's duty is to protect people from those who seek to take advantage of them - be they criminals, dishonest companies or greedy special interests. That requires putting the interests of working families, taxpayers and senior citizens first.

Under the Bush Administration and Republican Congress, the special interests and their lobbyists are writing our laws - and reaping the benefits.

We don't have to allow these special interests to undermine our efforts to provide affordable prescription drugs for the seniors who need them. America can do better. And under a Democratic Congress, it will.