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Paul Clinton

Fed up with the rising cost of prescription drugs, Delia Bustamante is

taking her fight to Washington D.C.

The Huntington Beach resident is headed to the capital next week to

lobby federal lawmakers for increased funding for Medicare.

Bustamante, who has lived near St. Bonaventure Catholic Church for 30

years, has pledged to participate in a “March on Washington,” from May 15

to 17.

Like countless others, Bustamante has been faced with high

prescription bills for a litany of medications she takes to ward off high

blood pressure.

As a senior citizen, the 73-year-old Bustamante has access to

Medicare, but many of the medicines she takes are brand-name and don’t

have cheaper, generic versions.

Bustamante pays as much as $500 every three months for prescriptions

of Pravachol, Fosamax and other high-priced drugs.

Since the federal government only reimburses up to 2% of the costs of

treatment for seniors, many HMOs don’t cover these drugs.

Bustamante, and many other seniors, pay “out of pocket” for the drugs.

On the trip to the nation’s capital, she hopes to meet with Rep. Dana

Rohrabacher (R-Huntington Beach), and other lawmakers to urge them to

support higher reimbursements and other changes to help seniors afford

these drugs.

“It seems to me, the answer is putting more money into Medicare,”

Bustamante said. “Health care costs have gone sky high, but it’s still

only a 2% reimbursement.”

The costs of medication have risen 16% since 1997, she says, but the

reimbursement hasn’t been raised.

The so-called “prescription drug benefit” for seniors became one of

the hot issues in the 2000 presidential campaign. It started as one of

the sturdiest planks in Democrat Al Gore’s campaign, but President George

Bush also said he supported it.

Rohrabacher agreed that the current system needs reforming.

“No senior should have to worry about whether they can afford the

medicines they need to stay healthy,” Rohrabacher said. “Two things will

help this situation -- tort reform and financial assistance for our

poorest senior citizens. Frivolous lawsuits against pharmaceutical

companies drive up the cost of prescription drugs.”

Bustamante is an ambassador with Secure Horizons, the nation’s largest

Medicare HMO. On a part-time basis, she travels to medical clinics

dotting the North County map to answer questions about health care

coverage.

She hits branches of the Talbert Medical Center in Anaheim and Santa

Ana. She also spends time at the Rodger’s Senior Center in Huntington

Beach.

Bustamante raised three children in the city. Her son Ray graduated

from Marina High School as did two of her four grandchildren. Her husband

Manuel passed away two years ago.

Since then, Bustamante has been educating seniors about their own

health care benefits.

The trip to the nation’s capital is a way to bring the message of

older Americans to their elected leaders.

“The primary focus of us going to Washington is for us to get more

funding for medications,” Bustamante said. “The people in Washington

don’t know what’s going on with seniors. It’s very important that they

know.”

* PAUL CLINTON is a reporter with Times Community News. He covers City

Hall and education. He may be reached at (714) 965-7173 or by e-mail ato7 paul.clinton@latimes.comf7 .