Medicare Part D has successfully used market mechanisms such as competition and consumer choice to improve access to affordable prescription drug coverage. As a result of market negotiations between insurers and pharmaceutical companies, in the first decade of program, total Part D costs were $349 billion less than projected estimates – an achievement unprecedented for a government program.
Those in the progressive movement remain ideologically opposed to the free market structure of Medicare Part D and are determined to undermine it. They continue to press for “mandatory rebates,” a government price control that could raise the premiums seniors pay by as much as 40 percent.
Part D is the free market beachhead in Medicare. The program is a successful template for broader healthcare reform and for the efficient delivery of benefits at many levels of government. On behalf of the millions of Americans that our organizations represent we urge you to reject efforts to weaken and undermine Part D.
