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Bush Extends Miners' Prescription Drugs
AJC ^
| 1/30/03
Posted on 01/30/2004 6:46:16 AM PST by areafiftyone
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP)--The Bush administration has extended a program that provides prescription drug benefits to 50,000 retired coal miners and miners' widows through Medicare.
President Bush signed an administrative order Thursday keeping the pilot program going beyond its scheduled June 30 expiration until December 2005, United Mine Workers President Cecil Roberts said.
Under the plan, the Department of Health and Human Services will increase its Medicare reimbursement to the miners' health care fund by $190 million, said Dr. Larry Fields of the federal agency.
The additional funding also boosts the government's share of the beneficiaries' drug costs from 34 percent to 66 percent.
Democratic Sen. Robert C. Byrd dismissed the Bush plan as an election-year campaign ploy and said it doesn't go far enough.
Roberts credited Rep. Shelley Moore Capito, a Republican, with persuading Bush to sign the order.
The UMW's West Virginia political action committee is to meet Friday to decide on endorsements for this fall's elections. Roberts declined to comment on whether there would be a push to endorse Capito.
TOPICS: News/Current Events; US: West Virginia
KEYWORDS: bush43; byrd; coalminers; medicare; miners; prescriptiondrugs; retirees; shelleymoorecapito; umw; widows
To: areafiftyone
Now you've done it. The Bushbashers will be here any minute saying this was an election year ploy to garner favor with the UMWA.
2
posted on
01/30/2004 6:48:17 AM PST
by
CholeraJoe
(Air Force! We're the smart ones, we send the officers out to fight.)
To: areafiftyone
100,000 votes?
3
posted on
01/30/2004 6:48:35 AM PST
by
Pan_Yans Wife
(Say not, 'I have found the truth,' but rather, 'I have found a truth.'--- Kahlil Gibran)
To: areafiftyone
Democratic Sen. Robert C. Byrd dismissed the Bush plan as an election-year campaign ploy and said it doesn't go far enough.The price of pandering. It's never enough.
4
posted on
01/30/2004 6:49:36 AM PST
by
AppyPappy
(If You're Not A Part Of The Solution, There's Good Money To Be Made In Prolonging The Problem.)
To: CholeraJoe
LOL - the democreeps are already saying that. If a republican does the right thing it's a campaign ploy - if the democreeps do it its a symbol of their honesty and integrity. Bush is an honest and caring president and the democreeps hate him for it. They want a person in the white house that they can manipulate and who will treat the white house like his own personal playground.
5
posted on
01/30/2004 6:51:06 AM PST
by
areafiftyone
(Democrats = the hamster is dead but the wheel is still spinning)
To: AppyPappy
I rolled out a new tagline today. Like it?
6
posted on
01/30/2004 6:52:27 AM PST
by
Huck
(Hold on to your wallet--the President's awake!)
To: areafiftyone
"Sheets" Byrd has no remnant of honesty and integrity.
7
posted on
01/30/2004 6:53:03 AM PST
by
CholeraJoe
(Air Force! We're the smart ones, we send the officers out to fight.)
To: Huck
Like it.
8
posted on
01/30/2004 6:57:46 AM PST
by
AppyPappy
(If You're Not A Part Of The Solution, There's Good Money To Be Made In Prolonging The Problem.)
To: CholeraJoe
bush wants to hang onto wva's electoral votes...without them and florida's bush loses
9
posted on
01/30/2004 7:10:16 AM PST
by
metoooo
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