| ||
| ||
| ||
 |
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Bush stumps for Medicare drug planMomentum grows on Capitol Hill for bill
CHICAGO, Illinois (CNN) -- Saying "the time is right," President Bush on Wednesday pitched his plan for a prescription drug benefit for America's seniors as part of Medicare, as well as offering them a choice of health coverage plans. "This year we have an opportunity to seize and strengthen and ...improve Medicare for the sake of all our seniors," Bush told a gathering of Illinois doctors. "I'm here to urge Congress not to miss the opportunity. I'm here to ask for your help in making sure that Congress does not miss the opportunity." Momentum is building on Capitol Hill for passing legislation this year, especially in the Senate where some key senators have unveiled a plan that would offer seniors a prescription drug benefit under Medicare and also offer the choice of a new managed care option. The House is working on its own measure. Drugs are now used to treat many illnesses that once required hospitalization. But while Medicare will cover hospital costs, Bush said, it won't pay for the drugs that can prevent an expensive hospital stay. As a result, he said, "We are creating a health-care system that is more expensive and less effective." Bush has proposed spending $400 million over 10 years to include prescription drug coverage in Medicare, the government health insurance program for people over 65 and some Americans with disabilities. He also would offer seniors a choice of health plans, saying they would benefit when insurers compete for their business. "Seniors that want to stay in the current Medicare system should have that option plus a prescription drug benefit. Seniors who want enhanced benefits, such as more coverage for preventative care and other services, should have that choice as well," Bush said. "Seniors who like managed care plans should have that option as well," he added. "And all low-income seniors should receive extra help, so that all seniors will have the ability to choose a Medicare option that includes a prescription drug benefit." The Senate bill, however, differs from Bush's proposal in one key respect. It does not offer more generous drug benefits to seniors who opt for health coverage outside of Medicare. The Bush administration has argued that offering more generous benefits to seniors who enroll in Preferred Provider Organizations would be one way to hold down Medicare costs. But lawmakers have been reluctant to do anything that could be interpreted as scaling back Medicare, a popular government program for America's seniors -- a key voting bloc. Bush made no mention of any differences with the Senate plan, and, in fact, he praised Sens. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and Max Baucus, D-Montana, for their efforts. The bill, unveiled by the two senators earlier this week, would cover half the cost of prescription drugs up to $3,450 a year. If out-of-pocket expenses topped $3,700, the plan would cover 90 percent of any additional drug costs. Seniors would pay a $35 monthly premium and a $275 deductible. Democrats say the Bush plan would push seniors into managed-care programs and would lay the groundwork for privatizing Medicare. Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle called the proposals "flawed." "It is our intention, of course, to try to do all we can to improve that bill," Daschle, D-South Dakota, said Wednesday in Washington. " We want to ensure that seniors have access to these drug benefits through Medicare itself. We want to make sure they know what it's going to cost. We want to make sure they know what they can count on with regard to the benefits themselves." Several attempts to craft a prescription drug benefit in the late 1990s failed in Congress, reflecting the tricky politics of tinkering with a popular -- and costly -- government program.
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
