Democrats Seek Medicare Drug Plan Overhaul(weekly radio address)

[cal04]

The Medicare prescription drug plan should be overhauled to make it simpler and less expensive, California Rep. Henry Waxman said Saturday in the Democrats' weekly radio address. Tens of thousands of elderly participants nationwide have been unable to receive medicines promised by the government since the drug benefit went into effect Jan.1.

Waxman, the senior Democrat on the House Government Reform Committee, said that in the plan's legislation, ''corruption, incompetence, and an ideology that favors private profits over public programs all played a role.''
He specifically targeted the 2003 Republican-controlled Congress.

''The program was turned over to hundreds of private insurers who can charge what they want, cover what drugs they want, and change what they cover at will,'' he said. ''Instead of the certainty of Medicare coverage, seniors are now faced with a confusing array of choices, inaccurate information, and sometimes even higher costs.''

Waxman said he had ''never seen a more dishonest legislative process than the one used to pass'' the bill.
When overhauling the system, the government could use ''the purchasing power of all of America's seniors to get low prices and better coverage,'' he said. ''America's seniors -- and America's taxpayers -- deserve honesty, simplicity, and a fair deal,'' Waxman said.

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/national/AP-Democrats-Medicare.html

[oneold1-4u]

1. THE BIGGEST MESS OF ALL

Waxman said he had ''never seen a more dishonest legislative process than the one used to pass'' the bill.
Dishonesty is the hallmark of this administration! The clean-up of all their messes may well put this nation in jeopardy as bad as Katrina or a dozen storms all at once.
They could clean up this one in less than a month, and certainly should, because there are still a few million who aren't falling for this mess!
For the savings of a few dollars, I would have to give the government another big spot in my life and include some private company to tell me what I have to pay them in a premium, and again, a spend down amount for any drug.
NO THANK YOU-GO TO HELL BUSH!

[LittleWoman]

2. Dump the mess and start over! nt

[rodeodance]

3. good, it will all the shit to air again!

[Trillo]

4. "never seen a more dishonest legislative process"

Like passing a bad bill, to raise seniors prices versus the older plan, so that it can be "fixed", and perhaps have lower prices versus the existing, complex plan, but still higher prices than the older plan?