Medigate slowly gaining some traction

[swag]

http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2004-03-30-medicare-usat_x.htm

WASHINGTON — Public support is dropping for the Medicare prescription-drug law pushed by President Bush and passed by the Republican-controlled Congress last year, a USA TODAY/CNN/Gallup Poll shows. The erosion follows months of criticism from Democrats and disclosures that the administration withheld higher cost estimates from Congress.
Instead of providing the election-year boost among seniors that Republicans expected, the new law has generated more opposition than support among Americans ages 65 and older, the poll shows. Support among Americans of all ages also has declined.

and

March 31, 2004
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/nation/ny-usmedi313730633mar31,0,5323479.story?coll=ny-nationalnews-headlines


WASHINGTON - Some Senate Democrats, led by New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, called on President George W. Bush yesterday to explain what he knew about higher cost estimates for the landmark Medicare law, and whether the cost was concealed before Congress voted on it last fall.

The request comes in the wake of charges that the government's top Medicare actuary was threatened with firing last summer if he told that the cost projection for the new Medicare law was $1 billion more than what the administration had been touting.

"Either the president was kept in the dark in the same way the Congress was or he chose to continue using the lower figure even though he knew it was inaccurate," said Clinton, who wrote a letter yesterday to Bush. "He needs to tell us which was the case."

Richard Foster testified last week that he told his former boss, Tom Scully, then the head Medicare administrator, and Doug Badger, a Bush health policy adviser, about the $550-billion-over-10-years estimate. That projection was far above the $400 billion told to Congress. White House officials said they will respond to the letter once they receive it. Foster has said Scully threatened to fire him if he gave Congress his figures.

[dweller]

1. Here's a bit more info

Dem complaints pay off with nine probes
New tactics yield run of high-profile investigations

At least nine high-profile investigations
have been triggered in the wake of a
flood of Democratic demands targeting
the heretofore scandal-free Bush
administration and the
Republican-controlled Congress.

They range from an inquiry on the cost
of the new Medicare law to multiple
probes on the alleged failure of
intelligence in monitoring Iraq's
weapons programs.

In response to the new scrutiny, many Republicans claim the rush to investigate at
the Democrats' behest is politically inspired. Nevertheless, some political
observers believe the cumulative effect of these probes is damaging Bush's
re-election chances.

There are two ongoing probes related to Medicare, which Bush made his top
domestic legislative priority last year.
snip

"It's political", Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) said of the investigations and the
frequent Democratic demands. "There's no question the folks on the other side
are trying to embarrass us and win the election."

http://www.hillnews.com/news/032504/complaints.aspx

dp

[BabsSong]

2. Another aspect of this is going to hit in two months and will blow a

buch of votes away from Bush with a very powerful sector. Saw a segment the other night of elderly person getting her info to sign up for the drug program to be launched in May and June. She talked about how most seniors had no real idea what they would get, etc. but now they are getting their info and it's becoming clear that this is a total ripoff. She said one soon discovers one will have to pay as much or more than one pays out of pocket now and thus this is just a ruse designed to funnel money into the drug companies. Also, AARP president said shit is going to hit the fan for the same reasons---the drug companies are going to spike their costs thus saving nothing. The seniors and people, say, 5 years or so from retirement are going to turn in mass against Bush and they will do it by June when it all hits them in the face. I'm surprised Bush didn't put the start up date off until after election. Stay tuned...and for Christ's sake almighty, could Kerry start talking about this NOW. He can tell those seniors just what to look for as they are right now receiving their info.

[nickinSTL]

3. AARP Pres?

The AARP President said that?

I thought AARP supported the plan?

[swag]

4. Hm, I doubt Novelli (AARP Exec Dir) said that

but maybe the President of their volunteer National Legislative Council or an AARP local said that.

Glad I don't work at AARP any more.