Seniors back Brown; he makes Medicare priority

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http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/seniors/index.ssf?/base/opinion/116323763142800.xml&coll=2

http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/seniors/

Aging Matters
with Susan Jaffe

Saturday, November 11, 2006
Susan Jaffe
Plain Dealer Columnist

Voters over 60 supported Senator-elect Sherrod Brown in greater numbers than any other age group last Tuesday, according to a CNN exit poll...

"When we get to work in January," Brown said, "we're going to tell the government to negotiate drug prices on behalf of 40 million Medicare beneficiaries the way VA does for veterans."

In his speech, Medicare was right up there with ending the Iraq war, implementing the 9/11 commission's recommendations, improving worker safety, pursuing embryonic stem cell research, protecting children and protecting Social Security...

With the savings from lower prescription drug prices, Brown has said the government could begin to close the coverage gap -- the infamous "doughnut hole" -- in the Medicare drug benefit.



New Member Profile: Sen.-Elect Sherrod Brown (D—Ohio)

http://www.nytimes.com/cq/2006/11/07/cq_1827.html

Sherrod Brown opposed President Bush's stated position more frequently in 2005 than any other member of Congress. He espouses a liberal populism that is a sharp departure from the moderately conservative views of Republican Sen. Mike DeWine, whom he defeated. Indeed, Brown's views are much like those of DeWine's Democratic predecessor, Howard M. Metzenbaum (1974, 1976-95)...

People are living longer and have a better quality of life, Brown says, because of "what progressives have fought for" over the past century — including programs like Social Security, Medicare, workers' compensation, pension guarantees, and clean air and water...