Posted on 06/11/2003 10:39:20 PM PDT by LdSentinal
In recent years, pollsters have said that Medicare prescription drug coverage is not a wedge issue anymore because both Republicans and Democrats support expanding the program.
But the issue could play a role in the Georgia Senate race to replace retiring Zell Miller (D). Rep. Mac Collins, a conservative Ways and Means Committee member who entered the race in May, was one of only eight Republicans who voted against the 2002 House GOP prescription drug bill. He was also the sole Ways and Means Republican that year to vote against an earlier version of the plan, crafted by committee Chairman Bill Thomas (R-Calif.) and Rep. Nancy Johnson (R-Conn.).
In various races over the past several years, prescription drug coverage has played a significant role. In 2000, Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) used it to her advantage to defeat then-Sen. Spencer Abraham (R). That year, then-Senate Finance Committee Chairman William Roth (R-Del.) lost to his Democratic challenger, now-Sen. Thomas Carper, partly because Roth failed to move a drug bill through his committee.
But political experts say that over the past couple of years Republicans have done a decent job in fending off Democratic attacks on prescription coverage. House Republicans regularly point out that comprehensive Medicare drug-benefit measures have passed the House only under GOP control. After passing their drug bill last year, GOP leaders in the House criticized then-Senate Majority Leader Thomas Daschle (D-S.D.) for failing to pass a companion bill.
Collins's vote in 2002 makes him a potential target in the Georgia race because a vast majority of senior citizens support adding drug coverage to the Medicare system.
Some conservatives privately praised him for voting against the House GOP bill, asserting Medicare already is on shaky financial ground and cannot afford the addition of a major new entitlement.
But last week, Collins said he voted against the measure because he was concerned it would have led employers to drop prescription coverage for their retirees. That, in turn, would have forced many senior citizens to sign up for a Medicare drug program that was inferior to their previous benefit, Collins said.
Asked whether that vote makes him politically vulnerable among centrist GOP voters, Collins said, "I didn't hide from . . . [the vote]. I told seniors [in my district]. They understood."
In 2000, Collins voted for the House GOP drug bill. He said he supported it because the GOP conference was trying to move such a bill for the first time. That bill cleared the House by three votes.
Collins said he is hopeful that changes will be made to this year's version and indicated that he may support it.
Rep. Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.), one of Collins's rivals in the Senate primary, supported both the 2000 and 2002 bills. Isakson, who declined to comment on Collins's voting, said that he endorsed the drug measures because drug coverage is a top priority for senior citizens in his district.
He added that it is important for GOP leaders to craft a drug benefit that relies on the private sector. A drug benefit with a large government role would jeopardize the future of Medicare, he said.
"Once you give people a benefit," Isakson said, "you don't take it away." Because of that, Isakson said it is extremely important to craft the drug benefit the right way. Spokespeople for businessmen Al Bartell and Herman Cain, who are also running in the GOP Senate primary, could not be reached for comment.
Georgia state legislator Mary Squires is the only Democrat to commit to running in the Georgia Senate race. Her spokesman could not be reached for comment at press time.
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