Deal 'in Principle' for Medicare Plan to Cover Drug Costs

[gristy]

I fear that prescription drug coverage, while admittedly benefiting many elderly americans, is a budget buster and a handout to the pharmaceutical industry. If the gov't is going to start paying for these drugs, they ought to outlaw the advertising of them. It's just nuts.
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By ROBERT PEAR
November 16, 2003
New York Times

WASHINGTON, Nov. 15 - The top Republicans in Congress and two Democratic senators announced Saturday that they had reached an "agreement in principle" on a bill to help millions of elderly people buy prescription drugs. It would be the biggest expansion of Medicare since the program was created in 1965.

The White House said it would join Republican leaders in an all-out effort to push the bill through Congress, where it faces opposition from some conservatives and from many Democrats.

Besides adding drug benefits to Medicare, the bill would inject competition and market forces into Medicare and establish a new mechanism to help hold down Medicare costs. It would also offer tens of billions of dollars in subsidies and other aid to employers to encourage them to continue providing health benefits, including drug coverage, to retirees.

link

[Nlighten1]

1. This is just going to open up medicare to more Republican fraud

I agree we need a prescription drug benefit but how about we force the big Pharmaceutical companies to lower their prices?

[BJ]

2. Majority leader Bill Frist, Republican of the health care industry.

And Breaux and Baucus vote with the Repugs so much they might as well be Repugs.

This is a deal with the pharmaceutical industry's stamp of approval all over it.