And Now, The Depressing stuff

CNN.com - Senate advances major Medicare bill - Nov. 24, 2003

Let's see -- The government puts together a $400 billion plan to overhaul medicare, giving seniors drug plans. But what does this plan really do?

There's a good deal of confusion about exactly what the bill would and would not do, [Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa] complained. "It's about 1,100 or 1,200 pages," Harkin said, "and we got it dated November the 20th. No one's read this bill. Nobody knows what's in it."

The drug benefits, he said, "don't go into effect until 2006. So what's the rush? The only rush is the pharmaceutical companies and the HMOs, they want their money. Big bucks -- billions of dollars of taxpayer money going to bribe them to come in and to provide drugs and benefits to seniors."

At best, it's suspicious. At worst, it's chicanery at its worst.

Posted by Ted Stevko at November 24, 2003 08:49 PM | TrackBack