Medicare reform backfires on Bush

THE WASHINGTON TIMES ^ | 17FEB04 | By Ralph Z. Hallow

[.cnI redruM]

President Bush signed a prescription-drug act two months ago that is actually hurting his popularity instead of boosting support from the elderly as intended.

A Gallup survey found that public disapproval of Mr. Bush's handling of health care has increased 13 percentage points since last year. The Jan. 19-Feb. 1 survey found 57 percent of the 1,001 Americans surveyed disapprove of Mr. Bush's health care policies, compared to 35 percent of voters who approve.

[.cnI redruM]

Bad policy makes bad politics. This Medicare bill was a boondoggle. It is being treated with the contempt that it deserves.

[KantianBurke]

President Bush signed a prescription-drug act two months ago that is actually hurting his popularity instead of boosting support from the elderly as intended.

LOL!! Gee, guess all that "compassion" with other people's money to give granny free pills isn't paying off. Sorry Dubya. Better put some ice on that.

[Bikers4Bush]

Of course all of this will fall on deaf ears in DC.

[Maria S]

"Bad policy makes bad politics. This Medicare bill was a boondoggle. It is being treated with the contempt that it deserves."


Yep! Just wait until Hillary and the democrats are in charge of things. This medicare bill "boondoggle" will look like an exquisite piece of legislation compared to what they'll churn out.

[My2Cents]

This Medicare bill was a boondoggle.

The Medicare bill was a reasonable effort to introduce economies experienced in the commercial market to the public health program for seniors. There are cost containment provisions within the bill which were not previously part of the Medicare program. The programatic revisions in the bill should put Medicare on a path toward greater privatization. The cost estimates are just that -- estimates. Currently, two-thirds of Medicare recipients already have drug benefits through some other means (private drug plans, Medicare supplemental, or Medicare+Choice plans). Since the drug benefit is the bulk of the increased cost estimates, it is likely that these estimates are high in that they assume that most seniors will opt for the new drug benefit (but with 2/3 already in some form of drug coverage, why would they?)

The conservative principles of competition, private sector administration of the drug benefit, innovation in administration of benefits, and cost-containment provisions, could very likely bring down the overall cost of the program, while bringing Medicare coverage up to the level and quality of private benefit plans, and into the 21st Century.

[TomGuy]

Insurance and drug companies benefit greatly from the bill.

Seniors get maybe at 25% discount on their meds. Most existing prescription drug cards give up to 20% discount and those cards are free, not $540 billion.

This version of the Prescription Drug Bill was nothing but a payoff to big drug and insurance companies. Seniors get shafted with loop holes, premiums, uncovered areas, and no price negotiations nor cheaper foreign imported drugs.

[My2Cents]

Boy, you guys post #2 and #3 on this thread! Quick on the draw.

You two seem to be drawn to Bush-bashing threads like flies to dog-doo.

[My2Cents]

Seniors get shafted with loop holes, premiums, uncovered areas, and no price negotiations nor cheaper foreign imported drugs.

Thanks for the DNC talking points.

[sgtbono2002]

The Dems attacked this bill like sharks, why didnt they have the guts to stop it like they stopped the Judge nominations?

[mo]

I've posted this before and will do so again...ya don't touch health care. Screwing with it cost the Clintons the House and Senate in 1994. There is NOTHING that can be done nationally that will have any significant upside, and there's LOTS of downside risk-the issue simply affects too many. Incremental withdrawal is the best Federal policy-and is 180 degrees from the Bush Whitehouse. Hope someone from there reads this.

[Species8472]

The elderly are the wealthiest single segment of our society. The Medicare drug benefit is simply a give away to them. We should repeal this along with the bush tax cuts.

/Sarcasm

Do you think the class warfare lib's will get bent over this!

[boomop1]

Hell he should have given the bill to Kennedeo or Hitlary to fashion, they couldn't have done much worse.

[TomGuy]

If those are the DNC talking points, so what. They are the truth. Read the bill and you will see that its beneficiaries are not seniors, but insurance companies and drug companies. Insurance co's even get around $140 million just to set up the programs. Yeh, the govt is paying private insurance companies to set up private insurance programs. That is government subsidizing private industry. And the bill has about $1 Billion to help pay for illegal aliens' medical bills. So, you and the taxpayers will now be subsidizing illegal alien medical benefits. And Medicare is not allowed to negotiate for lower drug prices (that is in this bill) or is Medicare allowed to purchase cheaper foreign drugs. That is not competition. That is protectionism--for the drug companies.

[Bikers4Bush]

I wouldn't say we're attracted to Bush bashing threads, I'd say we're attracted to rino legislation that's crap threads.

[TomGuy]

The elderly are the wealthiest single segment of our society. The Medicare drug benefit is simply a give away to them.

You wouldn't deny a person who paid premiums into a private insurance company the right to claim payout benefits.

Those seniors have been paying premiums into the SS/Medicare system for decades. They aren't getting this for free.

[Puppage]

Seniors get maybe at 25% discount on their meds

Only up to a certain point, I believe roughly $1,350.00. Once they (medicaid users) exceed 5k in yearly costs, the new bill picks up 95% of the cost.

[Species8472]

Those seniors have been paying premiums into the SS/Medicare system for decades. They aren't getting this for free.

Absolutely true.

I am simply making a statement on the hypocrisy of the left and especially those that feed on class warfare.

[EllaMinnow]

Kennedy and Hillary! wouldn't have given me the option of a Medical Savings account that will basically liberate me from the health insurance monopoly and save me hundreds of dollars a year.

George W. Bush did.

[boomop1]

You are absolutely correct and I will also benefit by that, we really need tort reform to fix the medical system. These bills are always mired with too many carrots just to get passed.

[EllaMinnow]

Tort reform will be the best thing to happen to medicine since the discovery of penicillin. We'll never get it with a dem as president.