PhRMA Launches Campaign to Raise Awareness of Success of Medicare Prescription Dr...( WASHINGTON June 10 -- With the debat...),Health

WASHINGTON, June 10 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- With the debate over comprehensive healthcare reform now in full swing, the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America is launching a new national broadcast advertising campaign touting the importance and success of free-market initiatives such as the Medicare prescription drug benefit (Part D).

Medicare Part D continues to provide unprecedented coverage and choice for seniors and disabled Americans, according to national surveys. And most importantly, seniors are saving money on their medicines through the program, particularly those who need it the most. According to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), the average value of the Part D benefit, premium subsidy, and cost-sharing subsidy in 2009 will be $1,200 for the average beneficiary, and about $3,900 for low-income.

In fact, in 2009, approximately 97 percent of beneficiaries in a stand-alone plan have access to a monthly premium less or equal to the premium they paid in 2008, according to CMS. And every state offers a Medicare prescription drug plan with a premium of $23 or less.

A recent Medicare Today survey, cited in the commercial, shows overall satisfaction has grown from 78 percent at the start of the program in 2006, to 84 percent in 2009. In addition, the new commercial also pushes for comprehensive healthcare reform.

"There is a success story out there in healthcare, and we want people to know about it. Since its inception, the Medicare drug benefit has given beneficiaries unprecedented access to needed medications, at an affordable cost," said PhRMA Senior Vice President Ken Johnson.

Not only are Medicare beneficiaries saving significant money, so too are American taxpayers. In March 2009, the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released new baseline spending projections that reduced its 10-year forecast for the total
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