CBS reports McCain wants to roll back the presc. drug benefit

[MichiganVote]

Anyone here still think he'll be a viable candidate in 08'? Earth to McCain, seniors vote and they won't vote for you asshole.

[whistle]

1. That's so the neo-conservatives won't have to cut war spending

...guns and butter economic trade-offs, what bushit! In this case, McCainshit!

[MichiganVote]

2. Gee, no mention of a rollback on the tax cuts for the wealthy...

[drluch]

3. I like McCain on occasion, but let's cut something else first.

What about that estate tax cut? That highway bill with the bridge to nowhere? Iraq?

Speaking of bridge to nowhere, is that the definition of the Bush thought process??

[still_one]

4. when mcain allowed his wife and child to be slammed by rove/bush

and then endorsed bush for president, shows the real character of the man

[drluch]

5. When Rove was bashing McCain in my home state of

SC and McCain didn't strangle him at their next meeting made me lose respect for him. But he is a burr in the pants of Bush.

[still_one]

10. I don't think he is that much of a burr in the pants to bush

In fact more and more he is a lot like biden

this prescription plan was a joke in the first place. It does NOT allow for the best price for consumers, and under it, states are NOT allowed to negotiate better deals

[OnionPatch]

11. Exactly!

I have never in my life lost respect for anyone as quickly and as completely as I did for John McCain when I saw him hugging Bush last election cycle. After what they did to him, he basically kissed their a**es! What a total wuss! As far as I'm concerned, he is a man without principle.

[Wabbajack]

7. Ted Steven's Alaska Bridge?

That's his doing. * really has nothing to do with that. If the Chairman of the Apporoprations Commitee wants a tender porkchop he gets it.

[ClintonTyree]

9. There has been some talk about the highway bill.....

but I think it's just posturing. Hey, you have to cut money from the places where there's the most fat, and old people are ripe for the picking. Sorry, Granny, bush just took away your meds, there's a war to fight, 'ya know? :shrug:

[FreedomAngel82]

27. Ugh!

There are some people who need their medicine. Does this whole thing go with any age or just elderly? If it's just the elderly that would cause some trouble. Some have heart medication they need and things like that. My grandfather used to take tons of medicine and my grandmother takes some. Luckily a lot of hers is vitamins.

[still_one]

6. In all honesty, the prescription drug benefit is a joke

I have lost respect for mccain in other areas, but this plan did nothing to assure consumers get the best prices, in fact it does just the opposite

In many cases it cost more

[lumpy]

13. A joke for sure.

This old lady isn't signing up for it (much to the relief of my phamacist).

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

18. you are exactly right - it only benefits the pharma companies

and it does drive up the prices.

It specifically bans imports from Canada,
and it bans the govt from negotiating drug prices.

It is just like the
Leave no child behind
Clean Air
Patriot
or any of the other "acts"

This is the problem, Bush gives these poison pills a pretty name,
and everyone swallows it without checking the bottle.

[FreedomAngel82]

28. Yep

Everything he does he gives a pretty name and does the opposite. So whatever he's going to call this act just reverse it and it'll tell you the real reason for it.

[still_one]

32. What they should do is repeal the bankrupcy law and

roll back the tax breaks for the wealthest

[babylonsister]

8. Yep, I told my husband he can kiss his political aspirations

buh-bye. And good riddance!

[drluch]

12. I like how Bush and his clowns lied about keeping the

cost under $400 billion and when the true cost was uncovered, all the Republicans all said "too late, we already voted for it, next costly bill we can't afford".

Investing in gold is looking more and more promising.

[babylonsister]

22. I dunno; you might want to read this:

and welcome to DU!


Gold Hits 17-Year High Amid Inflation Concerns
Gold hits 17-year high amid inflation concerns
By Kevin Morrison
Published: September 16 2005 14:09 | Last updated: September 16 2005 16:51

Gold hit a 17-year high on Friday as concerns about inflation from high energy prices and worries about the US budget and trade deficits prompted investors to buy.

Bullion peaked at $458.80 a troy ounce, its highest level since December 1987, after breaking through last December’s long-term high of $456.75. The swift move through key technical and psychological levels of $450 and $455, and strong investor buying, increased the prospect of bullion scaling new long-term peaks.

The new highs mark the longest bull market run for bullion since it was free floated in 1968. The metal’s fortunes turned round in the summer of 2001 when it hit a 22-year low of almost $250 a troy ounce due to central bank selling. Its rise over the past four years has been largely the result of a near 40 per cent decline in the dollar against the euro.

Gold has not just risen recently against a weaker dollar, but also against other currencies. Bullion on Friday hit a long-term high of €374 a troy ounce and Y1,630 a gram. Gold normally has a negative correlation against the dollar and a positive correlation with the euro.

http://news.ft.com/cms/s/1b3889a0-2699-11da-b6fe-00000e...

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

14. the medicare drug discount is a scam to screw the elderly

The medicare modernization act does not give a true drug benefit.

What it does is this -

seniors have to spend a certain amount out of pocket,
yes then they get a discount.

Then, after the govt has paid a certain amount, the senior has to spend about a thousand or so more out of pocket,
this can mean months without any benefit at all,

then, if they survive several months of paying full price for their meds, and reach a certain spending threshhold, they get about a 90% discount.

My mother spends about $6,000 a year, so there would be several months where she would have no benifit at all.

If she lived through the donout hole, then her benefit would amount to a 40% discount (annualized).


Let me point out to everyone, most elderly can't make it through the donut hole, and if you don't buy your meds during the donut hole, the benefit doesn't kick in later.

Then you die.

The "benefit" is so complex that I had to use a spreadsheet to figure out how much benefit my mother would get some months, and at what month she would have no benefit, and when the benefit would resume if she could afford the 500 out of pocket for several months.

It is a big fat republican scam.

[lcordero2]

15. look, this thing about "liking McCain" is nothing but garbage

I have no respect for him. He is just another POS that repeats the same bullshit. He is at the heart of what is wrong with the government for the last how many ever years he has been "serving" his constituents.

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

16. showing you what a con-job the medicare drug benefit is

The medicare prescription "benefit" helps the pharmaceutical companies. It is extremly complicated, not something that elderly could deal with if they are sick, since even a congressman's office took 6 weeks to figure out for me how it would pan out for my mother.

It would be far better if the govt would negotiate the pharma prices as every other country in the world does.

A person has to keep a running total of their out of pocket, the medicare total spent (towards meds)
and the running total costs of the meds.

There is a deductible and a monthly premium. The mo premium is $35.

I wrote Congressman Richard Burr to ask him what my Mother's monthly out of pockets would be with the 2006 benefit, based on her medicines costing $600.00 a month, every month.

After almost 2 months, and with the help of a spreadsheet, his office was able to give me the numbers:

With a monthly cost of medicines of $600.00:


Figures include the $35 monthly premium for "prescription insurance"

Month Amount$ that patient must pay

Jan 355
Feb 155
Mar 155
April 470
May 635
Jun 635
July 635
Aug 635
Sept 135
Oct 35
Nov 35
Dec 35

I will not be purchasing this "benefit" for my Mother.
Instead, I have begun ordering 3 of her most expensive meds from Canada.
(That is hard too, at first, because you buy a 3 month supply, and then you have to order 3-4 weeks ahead.)

Also, I have found that I can get some meds at better discount if I order through her prescription discount card that
she already has, if I use mail order.

The medicare modernization bill is the worst most disgusting rip-off I have seen in the past 4 years Besides all of the other rip-offs.

[eShirl]

17. the old switcheroo for the poor disabled

force them off the medicaid prescription coverage and onto medicare prescription coverage, then pull the medicare prescription coverage out from under them like a rug. hardy har har.

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

19. please read my other posts, this medicare benefit is not a benefit

it is another way to kill off the old people if they don't know better and subscribe to it.

They will have months of no financial help with their meds.

A real benefit would be to have the same one our crooked congressmen have, instead of one with a giant donut hole.

[eShirl]

21. I only speak from the perspective of someone with a disabled spouse

who is already being forced to rescind his medicaid prescription coverage for the medicare version, whatever it is you want to call it.

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

23. that is being caused by the medicare modernization act

The drug benefit in the medicare modernization act also screws with the medicaid benefit.

That sucks, and it would be good if this act was repealed, as McCain suggests.

[gizmo1979]

20. Smack the poor

a couple of more times.They might have lived alittle better we wouldn't want that.

[firefox]

24. I do not think you understand

Many people were absolutely shocked that the Medicare bill passed in 2003 as it was an in your face giveaway to the pill, health care and insurance industries. It was their invitation to the public treasury along the lines of the military industrial complex.

You should be happy to see it repealed. I emailed Daschle's office after he voted for the gift to the related industries saying he was not worthy of office where I once thought him worthy of President.

I watched PBS on this and they said the Congress might not want to take on the White House and that the Democrats might not go along. It made me sick to think that anybody would project that that legislation was anything the country could stomach, much less endorse.

Daschle's words were that the Republicans themselves would see it to be bad legislation with time and repeal it. It is strange to see it come about like he said, but it is one of the worst give aways ever using the sick and elderly to give the pill companies high prices/profits that cannot be negotiated.

If you want to talk about fascism, you should know that the bill was written by industry for industry and they used all their muscle to get two-thirds of the Senators to pass it. You are seeing it all wrong.

[MichiganVote]

25. Perceptions and appearances count among elderly voters

[OzarkDem]

29. Not exactly

Because of the reform bill, elderly and disabled were requied to give up their Medicaid coverage for prescription drugs, in exchange for the Medicare hoax.

While McCain is talking about pulling the prescription drug benefit from Medicare, they won't be re-establishing it under Medicaid for the low income folks - the worst of both worlds.

So in that sense, its worse than the original Medicare reform proposal.

[firefox]

30. They have painted themselves in a corner

Man, there is going to be some real shit hit the fan between now and Christmas. How are we going to live with all the spin, now that reality has bitch-slapped everyone to wake up. There is a joy in seeing the smug Congressmen walking through the mine field with the bull on one side and the fence on the other.

I have been waiting for the seniors to populate the Internet. Maybe this will bring them on.

[MichiganVote]

33. Scared shitless re: making tax cuts permanent

Big squeeze a comin'

[MichiganVote]

34. And the smart seniors will know that, the less informed will simply

surmise the gov't has reniged.

[OzarkDem]

26. Can't they just roll back

the massive giveaways to corporations and pharma companies that were part of the plan?

[Wordie]

31. I would like to see a link...and is he proposing anything in its place?

I've read most of this thread, and I wonder exactly what McCain is proposing. It might not be a bad idea, if the intent was to go back to the ordinary medicaid covereage, or if there is some other plan.

[MichiganVote]

35. Seemed to me McCain was merely postulating on CBS/TV

"All things are on the table" Translation: No more Bush sponsored legislation

[dflprincess]

36. Normie Coleman mentioned this too

putting it off until July 2006.

I don't know what I think of this. I thought the main beneficiary of the bill would be the pharmacuetical industry anyway, as I recall a number of us on this board were disgusted with AARP for endorsing the bill. I know a couple people who expect their out of pocket drug expense to go up because of this bill so I figure holding off on it is pretty much a wash.

[Gloria]

37. This is the opening for Dems---Srs. vs the rich....really, let's go!

It's a shitty plan, but hey, use what you got...