NH woman speaks at health bill unveiling

CONCORD (AP) – A New Hampshire woman has taken part in the unveiling of a national health care bill in Washington.

Seventy-year-old Priscilla King, of Bow, says she and her husband, Bernie, have been struggling for years to afford their prescription drugs.

King said they’ve gone into debt because of the times they have fallen into the Medicare “doughnut hole,” a reference to a gap in coverage under the Medicare prescription drug program. At Thursday’s event, she thanked U.S. Rep. Carol Shea-Porter, who was standing with her, and other House members for helping to close that gap for seniors.

Shea-Porter said seniors who fall in that category will have reduced costs and will benefit from a new 50 percent discount on brand-name drugs under the bill.