Heather Wilson's Addiction to Rx Money Sickening

Contact:  Josh Geise  

Forum Focused on Continued Confusion

[Albuquerque] -- Today, as Heather Wilson hosts a forum on the sham Medicare bill she helped passed through the Republican-controlled Congress, the Democratic Party of New Mexico urges her to acknowledge her addiction to pharmaceutical campaign cash.

Representative Heather Wilson has taken over $101,890 from prescription drug companies over the course of her career. [www.opensecrets.org]

“Heather Wilson’s drug bill dispenses a potentially fatal dose of confusion which is only sugar coated by her corporate cronyism,” said Democratic Party of New Mexico Chairman, John Wertheim. “Wilson’s addiction to pharmaceutical money is sickening and it is harmful to New Mexican families.  Her forum today is a continuation of her deliberate attempt to mislead voters about her votes in Washington, and one more reason why we need to elect a new Representative -- one who will restore opportunity for all, not just special interests.”

The Wilson-Bush Medicare bill gave an additional $139.2 billion in profits over the next eight years to the pharmaceutical industry, provided $46 billion in subsidies to HMOs and made it illegal for Medicare to negotiate lower drug prices with manufacturers. [Alan Sager, Boston University School of Public Health, 4/12/04; New York Times, 9/4/03; The Times Union, 12/12/03; USA Today, 11/25/03; National Journal, 1/21/04]

Clearly the pharmaceutical companies benefit, but here are the so-called benefits to seniors from the Heather Wilson-supported Prescription Drug Bill:

…Force seniors to pay more.

The $250 deductible will jump by 10 percent and could grow to as high as $445 by 2013.

…Create a debilitating gap in coverage.

The $2,850 gap for which there is no coverage will jump 10 percent at first and then by up to 78 percent, excluding so many seniors.

…Force seniors to pay higher insurance premiums.

Insurance premiums, which are not set in the bill even for 2006, are projected to increase 65 percent to $58 a month by 2013 [H.R. 1, Vote #669, 11/22/03; Associated Press,  11/26/03]

Meanwhile, health care costs have risen for families by 18%, which is an annual increase of about $3,169 per family according to FamiliesUSA, a non-partisan organization focused on issues important to American families.  Since Republicans have controlled Congress, they have done nothing to bring down or control health care costs. 

In New Mexico, almost 230,000 seniors are enrolled in Medicare.  A high percentage of seniors in New Mexico do not have internet access, limiting their ability to enroll in or ask questions about the new prescription drug program.