Medicare Bill's Risky Politics

[DeepModem Mom]

Los Angeles Times:


Republican leaders are touting their sweeping bill to expand and reshape Medicare as a political coup for their party and a significant domestic policy accomplishment for President Bush, challenging decades of Democratic charges that the GOP is hostile to the interests of seniors.

Approved by the House in a contentious vote early Saturday, the legislation is now before the Senate. During debate in an unusual Sunday session, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) announced that she would support the bill.

But the legislation, which is expected to go to a vote in the Senate today, also poses political risks for Bush and his Republican allies. Some Republicans see a potential backlash from senior citizens when they discover that the prescription drug benefit is far less than they expect, want or need.


Democrats have problems of their own navigating the political cross-currents. Democratic presidential contenders have almost unanimously concluded that there is little to lose among primary voters — and potentially much to gain — by opposing the bill. Many congressional Democrats have been more cautious, however, cringing at the prospect of having to explain a vote against a bill endorsed by the national leadership of the AARP. But some take comfort that their local AARP chapters oppose the bill.

"It's going to take a little bit of explaining," said Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.). "But I don't think it's the political slam-dunk Republicans are envisioning it to be."


http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-medpol24nov24,1,2594156.story?coll=la-home-headlines

[Nlighten1]

1. Welcome to DU!

Hope you like it here.

[DeepModem Mom]

2. Thank you!

I do like being here at D.U. -- for some unfathomable reason, I lurked for a very long time....

[izzie]

3. What I do not understand as the drug cost can go up the day after this pas

In a year even with paying 1/2 of cost they could be the same cost as today . This does nothing really but dump the tax money into drug companies.The higher the cost the more the drug company will take from the tax payer in payment from the person taken the drug and the govt. co-pay.This is a drug companies bill.

[0007]

4. I would hope the people of this country will wake up!

Because this is a bad bill and trickery is used all the way, much as junior and his cabal told us their reason for going to war.

One more lie!!!
Deception by Stratagem