op-into Medicare at 55, stop Bush 37% reduction to Soc Sec check in 06

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http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=676&nci...

Kerry:Seniors health costs(op-into Medicare at 55, stop Bush 37% reduction to Soc Sec check in 06)

Wed Sep 15, 6:35 AM ET Add Top Stories - USATODAY.com to My Yahoo!


By Martin Kasindorf, USA TODAY

Sen. John Kerry trumpeted his health care program Tuesday as a recipe to bring down soaring medical costs, rejecting Republican contentions that a Democratic plan would mean a government takeover.<snip>

In a swap with states, the federal government would take over health care responsibility for children under Medicaid. Governors who agree would take over costs for low-income adults. Kerry says states would save $5 billion.

Kerry also would provide tax credits to small businesses to buy health insurance for their workers. And he would rewrite last year's Medicare prescription-drug benefit law to allow importation of cheaper, FDA -approved drugs from Canada and other countries and let the government make bulk drug purchases for Medicare recipients, as it does for the veterans health system.<snip>

Pointing to a chart set up on an easel, Kerry cited figures from the Department of Health and Human Services showing that in 2006, the average 65-year-old would pay 37.2% of Social Security ) benefits for out-of-pocket Medicare expenses, up from 14.8% in 2000.<snip>

He said the Bush administration "tried to hide" reports of the increase from the public. USA TODAY reported the figures Tuesday.<snip>