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Medicare reform bill is a disaser { November 28 2003 } Original Source Link: (May no longer be active)    http://www.madison.com/captimes/opinion/column/zweifel/62243.php http://www.madison.com/captimes/opinion/column/zweifel/62243.php Dave Zweifel: Medicare 'reform' bill is a disaster By Dave Zweifel November 28, 2003 A few weeks ago this column contended that the goal of this batch of Republicans controlling Washington is to once and for all do away with all the programs and reforms that were enacted during Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal and Lyndon B. Johnson's Great Society. The so-called Medicare "reform" bill that passed the House and Senate this week was yet another example of how they're going about doing it. In polite circles, it would be known as a good old-fashioned flimflam. But, if you want to call a spade a spade, it's nothing short of a fraud. Ostensibly, seniors will - starting in the year 2006 - have portions of their prescription drug bills covered by Medicare. As Wisconsin Rep. Dave Obey pointed out during debate in the House last weekend, Medicare would actually cover just $1,000 of the first $5,000 of drug costs. "That means seniors pay 80 percent, and their insurance pays 20 percent," Obey commented. "For members of Congress, the insurance company pays about 80 percent of drug costs, and only 20 percent is paid by the members. Why should Congress be treated four times as well as senior citizens?" As bad, though, are provisions in this disastrous legislation making it illegal for the federal government to negotiate with drug companies to lower prices that seniors pay. The Department of Veterans Affairs has been able to purchase drugs at up to a 40 percent savings by negotiating with drug companies on behalf of veterans. But Medicare won't be able to do the same - an obvious sop to the giant drug companies from an administration and Congress that has been lavished with pharmaceutical contributions for years. The most cynical piece of this legislation that George Bush, the "compassionate conservative," will gloat about when he signs it is its provisions that in effect will push people out of Medicare. The bill includes large pilot projects aimed at encouraging the privatization of Medicare by giving seniors vouchers to use to buy private insurance rather than stay with Medicare. Obey calls it the "camel's nose under the tent." In other words, these Republicans want to push the health care of our seniors out to the private insurance companies - the same people, incidentally, who have made our health care system the most expensive, inefficient and confusing in the free world. The people who engineered this fraud are the same ones who lied to us about Iraq. This time they used seniors' desire for drug cost help to weaken the successful national health insurance known as Medicare. The Bush people call this a "victory." For the people who are over 65 now and for the rest of us who someday will be 65, it's an unmitigated disaster. Published: 6:27 AM 11/28/03

6 democratic candidates attack medicare measure { November 19 2003 } Aarp members burn cards Aarp spends 7m ad campaign supporting gop bill { November 19 2003 } Candidates take on aarp over drug bill Congressman bribed to pass medicare { November 27 2003 } Democrats threaten sue over medicare cost estimates Drug makers protect their turf { November 21 2003 } Drug plan faces enrollment challenge Drug prices for elderly climb 50 percent { July 1 2004 } FDA and states at odds over drugs { February 22 2004 } House probe medciare bribery allegation Medicare administrator withheld cost estimates for congress { September 8 2004 } Medicare costs kept secret Medicare drug benefit will cost more than reported { February 9 2005 } Medicare drug bill could be tough sell { November 17 2003 } Medicare drug cards produce confusion { July 29 2004 } Medicare drug cost estimate increases { January 30 2004 } Medicare reform bill is a disaser { November 28 2003 } Medicare secrecy inquiry is silenced { April 2 2004 } Medicare wont cover cancer drug costs { September 8 2004 } Medicares hidden bonanza { March 4 2004 } New drug benefits too complicated for seniors Nine dems back medicare bill Offered money to change vote { December 8 2003 } Some experts foresee revolt by elderly { November 26 2003 } Top democrats want us house probe on medicare vote US offers senior drug cards amid criticism { May 3 2004 } Files Listed: 27

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