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Press Releases
Seals Urges Kirk to Join Him in Call for Extension of Seniors' Drug Plan Deadline
Thursday, May 11, 2006
Wilmette, IL - Democratic congressional candidate Dan Seals today called for Republican incumbent Mark Kirk to join him in demanding that Congress extend the May 15 deadline for seniors to enroll in the controversial Medicare Part D prescription drug plan.
"All across the district, everyone I've talked to has told me the same thing - this program is too confusing and there just aren't enough resources out there to explain all the steps needed to enroll," Seals said. "It's important that Mark Kirk join me in asking Congress to extend the deadline and enact the much-needed reforms to this drug plan."
"We can do better for our seniors. First, we have to extend the deadline for all those seniors who need more time to understand their options. Second, we have to reform this flawed and overly complex plan," Seals continued.
Illinois seniors have been forced to choose from more than 40 different competing plans. Continuing changes in pricing for drugs, mistakes in the plan's handbooks, and long waits on phone help lines have been widely reported. Despite these errors in the execution of the plan, seniors who have not enrolled will face a punitive 1 percent per month lifetime late fee on their insurance premiums. If seniors wait until the next registration period, which begins November 15, they'll pay 6 percent more for the rest of their lifetimes.
"How can we punish the 14 million seniors who haven't enrolled with lifetime financial penalties, when the fault is with those who wrote and supported the plan? Our government has set seniors up to fail," Seals said.
Seals' opponent Mark Kirk holds the Republican leadership position of Assistant Majority Whip, which gives him the responsibility of enforcing party discipline and lining up members on critical party votes.
About Dan Seals
Seals lives in Wilmette with his wife, Mia, and three young daughters. Born in Chicago, he received a master's in public policy from Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and served as a Presidential Management Fellow during the Clinton Administration in both the Department of Commerce and Sen. Joseph Lieberman's office. Seals went on to earn his MBA from the University of Chicago. He is currently on leave from his position as Director of Marketing at GE Commercial Finance while he campaigns full time.
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