SACRAMENTO – Today, Assemblymember Dave Jones introduced AJR 31, a resolution calling on Congress and the President to make reforms to the Medicare Part D prescription drug program.  Since the creation of the program as part of the Medicare Modernization Act of 2003, Medicare Part D has faced a number of implementation and operational problems and has failed to ensure seniors’ access to the affordable prescription drugs they need. 

“When the President signed the law that created the Medicare Part D, he hailed it as, ‘a victory for all of America’s seniors’ that would save them from ‘a lot of worry.’  However, it has been anything but that,” stated Jones.  “The plan has left many California seniors worse off financially than they were before and has also been a huge source of uncertainty and worry for them,” continued Jones.

AJR 31 calls on Congress and the President to make a number of reforms to the Medicare Part D program including, requiring the federal government to negotiate for the lowest available prices for prescription drugs, eliminating the doughnut hole gap in coverage, and reducing penalties for late enrollment in the program.  Further, it calls on the federal government to fully reimburse California for its costs associated with the implementation and operation of the program and to give the state more regulatory jurisdiction over plans.