Lawmakers OK Prescription Drug Bill

My Way ^ | 11/15/03 | Mark Sherman

[Tumbleweed_Connection]

WASHINGTON (AP) - Republican congressional leaders said they sealed a tentative agreement Saturday on a new prescription drug benefit for the nation's seniors, the largest expansion in Medicare's history.

"We have come to an agreement on principle," Senate Majority Bill Frist said.

Talks that lasted most of the day smoothed over the last remaining wrinkles in the bill, including a proposal to have traditional Medicare compete directly with new private insurance plans and a plan to encourage employers to maintain drug coverage for retirees, officials said.

The agreement ends months of negotiations over the drug benefit and a broad reworking of the Medicare program to give private insurers a new large role in health care for 40 million older and disabled Americans.

It must win approval of House and Senate negotiators, many of whom have been meeting for months in search of a compromise. The legislation would then go to the full House and Senate, where tough questions await.

[EGPWS]

Swell, I was looking forward to a good discussion and I latch on to a poster that can't find the proper threat for his post. : (

Nice try newbie, move on I'm not interested.

[putupon]

The kind of government that is strong enough to give you everything you need is also strong enough to take away everything that you have.
— President Ronald Reagan (1911-

”we will bury you”
-- Nikita Kruschev, Soviet Premier, predicting Soviet communism will win over U.S. capitalism, 1958

[rebel]

The republicans will continue to do this until we stop voting for them. They think real constitutional conservatives have no other place to go.

Well....I'm voting for the Taxpayer or Constitution party next time.

[Reagan Renaissance]

Sponsoring and supporting an expansion of Medicare is a complete trashing of Republican principles. Republicans have clearly abandoned principles in search of re-election. Republicans are now corrupt political whores, differing from Democrats only by how long they have been whores.

I have never voted for Democrat for a national office or for an executive or legislative office holder at the state level. If Republicans pass this bill into law expanding Medicare, I will never again vote for any Republican currently holding elected office.

Democrats threw away the Constitution in 1913. Now that Republicans seem intent on compromising the Constitution, Republicans have joined Democrats as the enemies of freedom. I am not going to vote for the lesser of two evils. The United States is reaching the stage where it needs to turn away completely from its descent into socialistic hell or we will be better off once it completes its descent into socialistic hell and disintegrates completely.

Democracies are unworkable forms of government. They end in bankruptcies or in revolution from tyrranies of the majority. The United States was on track to be bankrupt before 2016. If this bill becomes law, US bankruptcy is going to happen sooner, rather than later.

[NittanyLion]

Only bureaucrats could devise a program that takes more of my money to deliver a service that's worse than the current level enjoyed by those supposed to benefit.

[EGPWS]

Democracies are unworkable forms of government.

Yep, thank Gawd we opted for a Democratic Republic instead! Mob rule never works, individual freedoms are non-existent in a Democracy.

[EGPWS]

The kind of government that is strong enough to give you everything you need is also strong enough to take away everything that you have.

— President Ronald Reagan (1911-

If we could only get him back! Your post is a very strong felt one.

[PISANO]

Oh isn't it wonderful? An expansion of a system that is bankrupt and that grows at a 15-20 percent per year rate. YEA YEA...........I am so happy I have a governmnent that cares about me.......cradle (post-birth) to grave!!

< /sarcasm >