Senate Democrats Claim Medicare Chief Broke Law

[TacticalPeek]

Senate Democrats Claim Medicare Chief Broke Law
By SHERYL GAY STOLBERG

Published: March 19, 2004

WASHINGTON, March 18 - Senate Democrats, reacting to disclosures that Thomas A. Scully, the former Medicare administrator, prevented his chief actuary from sharing information with Congress, said Thursday that they believed a federal law had been violated and called on the General Accounting Office to investigate.

In a letter signed by 18 senators, including the minority leader, Tom Daschle of South Dakota, and John Kerry , the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, the lawmakers cited a provision in an appropriations measure that bars using federal money to pay the salary of any employee who "prohibits or prevents, or threatens to prohibit or prevent" another employee from communicating with Congress.

The letter was sent amid a growing furor on Capitol Hill over recent accounts by the actuary, Richard S. Foster, that Mr. Scully threatened to fire him if he disclosed cost estimates of the prescription drug legislation Congress passed last year.

The issue is important because Mr. Foster's estimates were considerably higher than those lawmakers used, and support for the measure, which passed narrowly, could have eroded had the higher figures been widely known.

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NYT

[nadinbrzezinski]

1. ANOTHER SCANDAL? WOW

YOU think?

Who has been keeping track?

[markses]

2. Full Investigation is needed

And probably an independent prosecutor. The toadies in the House of representatives will do absolutely nothing, as per usual. The Senate needs to press this, and I think there may be a few GOPers who will at the very least uphold the dignity of their office and defend, at long last, the place and authority of their branch of the Federal Government.

Any rightwingers who oppose investigation are outright hypocrites. they can't complain about "liberal" overspending at the same time that they allow Bush to pass a do-nothing (if not do-damage) piece of legislation by hiding the true higher cost.

This is absolutely outrageous. No American in his or her right mind would support this. Perhaps folks should also get on the horn with the AARP and ask if this is the way they propose to conduct the nation's business. Sickening.

[DeepModem Mom]

3. kick

[TacticalPeek]

4. Kick. n/t

[pfitz59]

5. And Scully has a new job as...(drum roll)...........

a lawyer with a firm doing business with health insurers and drug comapnies! As Gomer would say: "Suuuuurprise!"

[lanlady]

6. jeezus, another investigation

that will go nowhere. Let's face it, our system of government is broke.