Prescription Drug Benefit

[mrs. katie]

This issue shows that Republicans get the job done and Democrats merely criticize. There is a problem with Medicare and with prescription drug costs so let us do something about it that falls short of socialism. The Republican proposals for this in the Congress are incredible solutions that maintain our capitalist ways and help our parents stay out of poverty. I applaud President Bush most definitely on this one. While he is working on the issues that Democrats emphasize during campaign season, that party is merely saying how the Republicans are owned by the big business interests and they don't do enough for elders. Once again they show their lack of dedication to the substance of the great issues of the day while the President works dilligently.

 

[Bruzilla]

I agree with what you say about the Dems, but I'm not looking forward to seeing yet another federal entitlement heaped onto the taxpayers. There is no problem with Medicare. Medicaid users received drugs because they were poor (or suppossed to be poor) and wouldn't be able to afford them. Drugs were left out of the Medicare provisions because the elderly are usually not codsidered to be "poor."

I heard seniors interviewed on a recent episode of Frontline who were justifying the need for a prescription drug benefit because they are having to pay out over $140 a month for prescriptions. My wife pays out more than that each month, and that's after our insurance pays their share. I make an average wage for this area, plus I have three teenagers and a house payment that most seniors don't have, so I would say that my disposable income falls in nicely with the average money that a senior has. So should my wife and I get a government freebie?

Rather than creating another soon-to-be bloated government money hole, I would rather see the government work with the drug makers, the AARP, and insurance people to come up with a workable discount program for seniors... like the ones that individual drug companies have today. That would keep the financial burder where it belongs (on the patients) and let them use their market force to keep prices down.

Drugs are priced at the level that most patients can afford them. Once Uncle Sam says he'll open his deep pockets to pay for the drugs you can bet the need will skyrocket, the prices will skyrocket, and woe be to any politician who tries to do anything about it.