New Brunswick, NJ, February 1, 2003 — During the new 108th Congress, seniors may finally get a Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit. A Prescription Drug Benefit for all Medicare beneficiaries is just one of the issues likely to be taken up in Washington this year.
While last fall’s election had a significant impact on Congress by altering the balance of power, not much changed in New Jersey. The New Jersey Congressional delegation is still made up of seven Democrats and six Republicans in the House and two Democratic U. S. Senators. Senator Frank Lautenberg captured the seat vacated by the retirement of Robert Torricelli, and former State Assemblyman Scott Garrett has replaced retiring Congresswoman Marge Roukema. With Mrs. Roukema’s departure, Chris Smith becomes the dean of the New Jersey Congressional Delegation.
This year, the top priority of our industry will be to work with Congress to pass a meaningful Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit. Although several versions of a prescription drug benefit were proposed last year, the issue ultimately died in the Senate.
However, in a pre-election poll conducted by Ayres, McHenry and Associates, one of the nation’s leading public opinion research firms, a Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit was cited as the number one concern among voters 65 and older.
The passage of a Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit is not the only important issue before the Congress. For the medical technology industry, swift implementation of last fall’s Medical Device User Fee and Modernization Act of 2002 (MDUFMA) will be the primary focus. The essential purpose of this legislation was to streamline the process used by the FDA to approve new medical devices and technologies.
Another issue we will be watching closely is potential changes in the laws that protect our industry’s intellectual property rights.
Price controls, the reimportation of drugs from Canada and direct-to-consumer advertising are other issues that are on the congressional radar screen.
While we can’t predict precisely when these issues will come to a vote in Congress, one thing is certain: adding your voice to these discussions is critical. Our e-mails, phone calls and letters made a difference on Capitol Hill last year, and HINJ again thanks you for your contribution.
Our industry is finally being noticed and we are beginning to have a real impact on our New Jersey Congressional Delegation.
To learn more about these issues and what others are saying about them, please visit www.hinj.org.