Minnesota

Part D As Representative will you:
	John Kline	Coleen Rowley
Sponsor legislation to enact a prescription drug benefit delivered through Medicare?
Sponsor legislation requiring Medicare to directly negotiate prescription drug prices?
Sponsor legislation eliminating the asset test for Medicare Part D’s low income subsidy, also called the Extra Help program?		**
People with Disabilities As Representative will you:
Sponsor legislation to eliminate the 24-month waiting period for Americans with disabilities under the age 65 to gain Medicare coverage?
Mental Health As Representative will you:
Sponsor legislation to make Medicare cover outpatient mental health care at 80% of its approved rate, as Medicare does for all other outpatient medical services?
Low-income Individuals As Representative will you:
Sponsor legislation to fully federalize administration and financing of the Medicare Savings Programs?		*

Checkmarks indicate a response of "Yes"

**   Comments from Ms. Rowley:

“Low-income persons should not be penalized for responsible planning that results in modest savings. The case cited in the Medicare Rights Center informational packet, for example, clearly illustrates how responsible families can be unfairly penalized.

However, certain persons, for example those holding over $1 million in assets, should not be able to abuse the system by reducing their income to virtually zero, and thus qualify for a low income subsidy. To that end, I believe some mechanism, whether that is an amended asset test or otherwise, should be in place to prevent manipulation and exploitation of programs like Extra Help.”

*     Comments from Ms. Rowley:

“Medicare Savings Programs (MSPs) are important steps to ensure that low-income persons receive the health care they need. To the extent that we can simplify the administration thereof and enroll more qualified persons into the system, I support federalizing the administration and financing of such programs.

However, my big picture health care plan calls for the federal government to issue a flexible mandate requiring the states to move towards universal health care. The flexibility of such a mandate will allow states to identify what works and what does not, thereby determining the best course of action for the nation as a whole over time. The federalization of MSPs and my flexible mandate approach are not mutually exclusive, but they might pose potential conflicts. Consequently, I will approach the issue with an open mind – examine the facts, listen to the experts, welcome dissent – and ultimately do what I believe is best to bring quality health care to all my constituents.”