The new Medicare prescription law is a policy disaster. It offers a pittance or worse for most elderly, is a boondoggle for the drug and insurance companies, and threatens to privatize and dismantle Medicare itself. But because Republicans now can claim they delivered a prescription drug plan for seniors, political strategists in both parties regard it as a big boost to… return to article
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Reader Comments (23)Page 1 of 1 pagesDemocrats are only upset because in 8 years they weren’t able to craft any policy that would benefit Medicare recipients. At least this is a start.
Socializing medicine isn’t the answer.
Posted by Steve Dow on Dec 6, 2003 at 1:00 AM The reason the SEVERAL Democratic Medicare bills did not pass during the Clinton Administration is because of overwhelming Republican opposition in the House and Senate. NOT for lack of trying. Now that the Republicans control most of the government, they are able to slide past THEIR version of ruining Medicare. Social medicine would be a blessing to the poor, but NOT the answer to keeping HMO’s and insurance and pharmaceutical companies in control of social and health policy! Any policy that would REALLY benefit Medicare recipients will NEVER pass in a capitalist system! DUH!
Posted by Brian Siefke on Dec 6, 2003 at 9:44 AM The Medicare Perscriiption Drug Bill will not only prove to ruin Medicare;it will widen the gap between the rich and the poor, leaving millions of people with little or no Health Care. This Republican controled government along with big Corporations are succeeding in destroying the middle class and creating another Third World Country right here in the good old U.S.A. Peopl need to stand up against them, vote them out of office, and elect officials that will represent the true intrest of the majority of American families and not just the rich. It is time to take our country back at the polling place.
Posted by Loren Jenkinson on Dec 6, 2003 at 5:16 PM Good story, you are right, Bush will use this prescription deal for a boost to get hisself re-elected. We all have to work together to get him out of the White House. This country cannot stand another 4 years of “Dubya.”
Posted by Wilda Walker on Dec 7, 2003 at 12:56 AM Brian- Didn’t know that. Could you please post those bill #‘s? Just trying to get facts and not myths.
It’s important that people don’t look stupid when addressing important legislation. The AARP supported this bill and, to my uneducated brain, had NOT (love the upper case technique!, valley girl writing!) any other specific Medicare bill of the previous administration.
Others- “People” not “peopl”
“Himself” not “hisself”.
Posted by Ty on Dec 7, 2003 at 4:48 AM Yes, TY from Chicago. Among others just from the years 1991 - 1992, there are HR8, HR11, HR16, HR302, and HRes246. All to address various aspects of Medicare. The reason the AARP is suddenly supporting the current legislation is not because interest in seniors, but because of the republican political leanings of the AARP CEO. Not to mention that the President of AARP is an IBM corparate pawn. By the way, I use capitals in this text because italics is not enabled here. Thank you for informing us all that typos are not tolerated.
Posted by Brian Siefke on Dec 7, 2003 at 6:24 AM Oops, I spelled “corporate” wrong, must be that valley-girl education!
Posted by Brian Siefke on Dec 7, 2003 at 6:27 AM Gee Ty, do you really think that your pompous, self-righteous, and condescending attitude towards others will help to highlight the strength of the values on your side of the aisle? Because, to me, you folks over there sound like a bunch of pricks! Fer sure, dude!
Posted by HB on Dec 7, 2003 at 4:32 PM Brian and HB- HR8? That’s funnier than Bad Santa.
“Bunch of pricks”? Are you one of those intolerant frustrated homosexuals? Do you have something against gay rights? Or do you just think that’s funny?
Freaking losers with rage. You’re so pathetic.
I love this. Better than the NFL. You’re getting your asses kicked in every election.
Posted by Ty on Dec 8, 2003 at 1:09 AM Ty,
We’ve had our disputes/discussions in the past. And I admit my forgetfulness on your views.
You don’t support Bush, correct? Or at least radical right-wing idealism. You are a Republican, from what I can remember, but are more of a moderate, correct?
The above disagreements have confused me.And just curious, LSU, Oklahoma or USC as #1?
Posted by neil on Dec 8, 2003 at 4:53 AM Yes, that would be House of Representatives Bill #8 from the 102nd Congress (in 1991). This Act may be cited as the `Comprehensive Health Care for All Americans Act’. It was of MANY pieces of health legislation, not even the most significant.
Now, I assumed this website was for the dissemination of information, which I am happy to oblige. However I will not cater to petty arguments and personal attacks from loosers like Ty with nothing better to do.
Ty, what information have you contributed here? Anything? Or have you just tried start a flame way to divert us from learning anything? (That last question was rhetorical and has an obvious answer….).
If anyone else is TRULY interested in Medicare legislation instead of petty attacks, it can be found on the Library of Congress website thomas.loc.gov. You may have to do a search if you are looking for something specific.
Posted by Brian Siefke on Dec 8, 2003 at 5:44 AM Problem
I see that psychological operations are be perpetrated in the writing of bills these days. Keeping a bill in committee, with changes all most every other day, written
In complex legalese which only a summa cum laude could understand next inserting the writing in a omnibus bill, hundreds of pages long only, to be vote in the middle of the night when the staff is exhausted has got us Medicare prescription drug bill Congress passed last month.Impact
With the left hand giving which attempts closing the coverage gap, within which seniors pay all drug costs by having us join HMO; has with the right hand took away the option to obtain medigap insurance (which is the only way I can get coverage for hemodialysis).Therefore I demand this bill be changed to take me and other seniors out of this deadly situation. Medicaid programs. “It’s bizarre, inexplicably, that the legislation prevents that from happening,” said Rep. Peter Deutsch, D-Fla. A reimportation bill (an Issue) has passed the House but is stalled in the Senate has distracted seniors from this flaw in this bill.
Posted by venus-val hammack on Dec 8, 2003 at 6:50 PM “have you just tried start a flame”...try again idiot. In English next time.
Neil- I’m all over the map. Not Republican, not Democrat. I’ve read your posts. I think you’re a guy that is pretty honest and smart. I don’t agree with you, but I do read your posts b/c I respect the agree to disagree thing.
Thank goodness Republicans have finally passed Medicare reform. Democrats haven’t done squat in 12 years. We finally have prescription drug coverage. Those poor people finally have some help. Help only the government can provide.
Posted by Ty on Dec 8, 2003 at 10:14 PM ....“flame war”....at least my ideas are safe from attack when typos are the worst criticism one throws. I think some people don’t even read these articles, but just post here to start arguments. How sad, really.
Posted by Brian Siefke on Dec 8, 2003 at 11:26 PM Poor wittle baby Ty. He’s gay and can’t deal…not that there’s anything wrong with that.
Posted by iron mike on Dec 9, 2003 at 4:24 AM #1. tell me again in plain english…..what’s so terrible about socialized medicine?...oh, i know..yeh, it’s foreign! times are achangin’ minions of myth..think about “the people”, instead of the politics….the division in “our” government sickens me…..25% of our income goes toward furthering special interest groups , senators, congressmen and the likes…..they “take ” it all and leave us with lies….. nothing would be better than lies…
Posted by lynage on Dec 9, 2003 at 7:40 AM There’s no answer as long as one can monopolize something, corrupt it, bail out and stick the taxpayers with the bill.
Skynet may be the answer. Then again…
Posted by neil on Dec 9, 2003 at 11:14 AM Medicare isn’t really socialized medicine, which would involve health care providers being government employees. Medicare is socialized insurance, where government pays private individuals and companies (some for profit, like Tenet hospitals, some not for profit) for services to insured individuals. This is why a Medicare-for-All plan is often called “Single Payer” —Medicare would be the Single Payer replacing all the current payers (i.e., insurance companies, Medicare, Medicaid) that health care providers deal with. Medicare works better than private insurance, it has more satisfied patients, it spends 1/4 as much on paperwork, and it can negotiate lower prices due to its size. At least all this has been true for 40 years, and now the GOP wants to end it by making Medicare a corporate pork fund.
People have a choice. You can be a strident ideologue who denies the success of socialized insurance, and insist that only for-profit insurance can work, despite decades of evidence that it’s a failure. Or you can look objectively at the facts and conclude that socialized insurance is better for all of us—except for insurance companies and pharmaceutical companies. The institutional GOP, made up of strident ideologues and cronies of these compaines, has made its choice. What will the rest of us decide?
Posted by Nick on Dec 9, 2003 at 6:31 PM i think that bush was already out for the big busnesses before i read this article. the medicare plans this article is talking about is rediculous they need to make something for all people instead of just the ones who have money or power. it just go’s to show you what the government is trying to do. They don’t care about the people they only care about the one’s who have money and the power. Bush is a joke for our country. the only thing he has going for him is his dad. if you notice his dad is always around him when he’s out. why isn’t there groups such as yourself forming to get ready and get a hell of alot of people to over throw the government. don’t say it can’t be done cause there’s always ways to beat someone if you really want to. we the people need to do something about all the things that are going on right now cause if we don’t are government is going to start a war with our allies. the reason i say that is some of the articles i have read in this .comm. before it gets to late we all need to stand up and say something after all we all put the people in there chairs that they are sitting in right now.
Posted by jeff rivera on Jan 11, 2004 at 2:01 AM Page 1 of 1 pages -
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