July 12, 2001

Washington D.C. -- Jane M. Orient, M.D., Executive Director of the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons, issued the following statement today in response to President Bush’s announcement of a Medicare Prescription Drug Discount Plan:

"We applaud the approach the President has taken today -- simpler may be better, and not just for prescription drugs. Reforming the system won’t do -- it needs a complete overhaul.

"Rather than loading on more complex benefits and coverage, we urge the President to look for the simple solutions across the board. For example, we wouldn’t even be having this debate about prescription drug coverage if Medicare gave all seniors vouchers to spend however they choose - - for prescriptions, surgery or preventative services. AAPS proposed this solution in 1995 that would virtually eliminate fraud since it would do away with the hundreds of millions of individual claims every year.

"President Bush should look at his own education bill for a model for Medicare -- if the government schools aren’t performing, students would be allowed vouchers to go to the private sector. Shouldn’t seniors have the same freedom as children?"

(A summary of the AAPS Medicare Reform Proposal is posted at www.aapsonline.org. Just click on "Medicare")