Medicare Bill letters to LA TIMES Nov 27, 2003

[Eric J in MN]

Re "Medicare Bill's Risky Politics," Nov. 24: I have read the details of the proposed Medicare prescription law and find them appalling. I did the math and found the premiums to be $420 annually. Add to that the $250 deductible and 25% of the first $2,250 and a patient will spend a total of $1,232.50 to save about $1,000. The recipient then pays the next $2,850 out of pocket.

Who benefits from this plan? First, the drug companies, as the government cannot negotiate with them for lower prices and has given them the added protection of outlawing importation of cheaper foreign drugs. Second, the insurance companies will reap a bonanza in underwriting the program. And that is the good part of the bill.

Incentives will be raised for private insurance companies to compete with the government for Medicare patients. The subscribers to traditional Medicare will find their premiums raised and private care more difficult to obtain.

As it is, with annual cuts in payments to providers (both doctors and hospitals), more of them are refusing to accept Medicare patients. As usual, big business reaps the rewards in exchange for minimal benefit to the average citizen. It is business as usual for this administration.

Arthur S. Friedman MD

Newport Beach

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Another boondoggle: In the past six months, drug companies, HMOs and other powerful industries have spent an incredible $139 million lobbying Congress to give them what they want.

It's not surprising that they've gotten a bill that will give them an estimated $139 billion over the next eight years ? not a bad return on investment.

You can say what you want about President Bush, but it's clear his powerful campaign contributors get what they pay for.

Syd Brown

Los Osos

[DBoon]

1. From conservative locales no less

Newport Beach and Los Osos are not exactly hotbeds of left wing thinking either.

[Snellius]

2. These figures are much worse than that.

The trouble with most of the statistics being thrown around is that they don't estimate how these costs will change. According to the Congressional Budget Office, the premiums, the deductible, and the "donut hole" will almost double by 2013, only seven years into the program, just when the boomers begin to call in their chips. Kennedy was absolutely right, this Medicare Bill is deeply dishonest and corrupt.

[The Zanti Regent]

3. The Republicans don't care because Jesus is coming to take them away!

You hear the same BS endlessly on the Jesus TV Channels, God Fearing Republikkkans don't care what happens because Jesus is coming to take them away!

Wonder how these RepubliKKKans gonna feel by 2030 when they need Social Security and the money was frittered away?

[Name removed]

4. Deleted message

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