30,000 with prescription drug costs above $3,300 per year, would have been eligible for this program, according to Congressional Budget Office estimates. [S 812, Vote 199, 7/31/02] XXXX Voted for Republican Medicare Prescription Drug Plan. In 2002, XXXX voted for the Republican Medicare prescription drug plan. This plan, which is estimated to cost $370 billion over eight years, is a plan in which the government would “pay subsidies to private insurers to provide coverage for drug costs, with insurers allowed to vary premiums and other details.” “Under the ‘standard coverage’ defined in the Republican proposal, a beneficiary would pay premiums of $24 a month and a deductible of $250 a year, plus substantial co-payments: half the cost of drugs up to $3,450 a year, all drug costs from $3,451 to $5,300 and 10 percent of drug costs more than $5,300. Under the Republican plan, insurers could alter the premiums, benefits and co-payments if they received approval from the government. Democrats said there was no precedent for such ‘drug only’ coverage. ‘Why subject our seniors to a vast social experiment?’ asked Senator Blanche Lincoln, Democrat of Arkansas. ‘I cannot in good conscience vote for a plan that relies on such an untried, untested delivery system.’” [S 812, Vote 187, 7/23/02; New York Times, 7/24/02] XXXX Opposed A Democratic Medicare Prescription Drug Plan Alternative. In 2002, XXXX voted against the Graham amendment to S.812, which was the Democratic Medicare prescription drug plan. This plan, which is estimated to cost $594 billion over eight years, is a plan to provide uniform, universal prescription drug coverage to all senior citizens through Medicare, not private insurers. Under this proposal, “a Medicare beneficiary would pay premiums of $25 a month and co-payments of $10 for each generic drug and $40 for each brand name drug on a list of approved medicines. There would be no deductible. The beneficiary’s out-of-pocket costs would be limited to $4,000 a year.” [S 812, Vote 186, 7/23/02; New York Times, 7/24/02] XXXX Voted to Cut Taxes Before Passing Prescription Drug Benefit Plan. In 2001, on a vote of 48-51, XXXX wanted to put a tax cut ahead of a Medicare prescription drug benefit plan. This amendment made it clear that reforming Medicare and providing prescription drug benefits is more important to Democrats than providing tax cuts for the wealthy. Some seniors on fixed incomes have to make the choice between buying medicine or food. [HR 1836, Vote 117, 5/21/01] XXXX Cast Deciding Vote Against a Prescription Drug Benefit Plan for Medicare. In 2001, on a vote of 50- 50, XXXX cast the deciding vote to kill a prescription drug benefit plan. During debate on the budget resolution, an amendment was offered to provide $311 billion over 10 years for a Medicare prescription drug benefit. [H Con Res 83, Vote 66, 4/3/01] XXXX Voted For A Republican Amendment To Increase Medicare Spending For Prescription Drugs And Keep Tax Cuts. In 2001, XXXX voted for an amendment that would increase the reserve fund for Medicare reform and prescription drug access for Medicare beneficiaries to a maximum of $300 billion for FYs 2002-2011. The amendment would not reduce the President's proposed 10-year, $1.6 trillion tax cut package. The amendment was agreed to, 51-50, with the Vice President voting “aye.” [H Con Res 83, Vote 65, 4/3/01] XXXX Voted Against Providing Prescription Drug Benefits. In 1999, XXXX voted against a motion to waive the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 to permit consideration of the Kennedy amendment to S.1429, which was an amendment to recommit the bill to the Senate Finance Committee with instructions to add language that would reduce the bill’s tax cuts by an amount sufficient to allow the establishment of a Medicare prescription drug benefit program. [Vote 231, 7/29/99] XXXX Voted Against Prescription Drug Benefit for Medicare. In 1999, XXXX voted to kill the Kennedy amendment to S.Con.Res.20, which was an amendment to establish a reserve fund to pay for Medicare prescription drug benefits. [Vote 79, 3/25/99] XXXX Voted Against Requiring a Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit Before Tax Cuts. In 2000, XXXX voted against prohibiting any of the marriage tax relief in the Medicare prescription drug benefit bill from going into effect before the enactment of legislation that provided, to all Medicare beneficiaries, Medicare prescription drug benefits that guaranteed "meaningful, stable coverage." The motion was rejected, 49-50. [Vote 206, 7/17/00] 171