ORLANDO, Fla., Aug. 24 (UPI) -- Elder statesman and celebrity pitchman Robert Dole wants to energize 40 million U.S. residents to apply for the new Medicare prescription drug benefit.
Dole urged 800 people attending the SeaWorld meeting of the Florida Council on Aging to help older and disabled Americans learn about and fill out necessary paperwork to save an average $1,300 a year on prescription drugs, the St. Petersburg (Fla.) Times reported.
Pfizer Inc., which Dole helped make famous by pitching Viagra, has been underwriting his time and expenses, the newspaper reported.
The prescription overhaul, the largest since Medicare's 1965 creation, will have about two dozen companies woo consumers. Signups begin in two months, but many people do not understand how the program will work.
"Everyone will get it," Dole told the Florida gathering. "Donald Trump qualifies, if we can find him. So can the vice president, come to think about it. Your health or income don't make a difference."
Dole, who has taken the prescription benefit message to audiences since June, promised not to tout one particular company.
