Democrats Sue to Get Medicare Bill Costs

[Spazito]

WASHINGTON - Democratic lawmakers filed a federal lawsuit Monday in an effort to force the Bush administration to turn over estimates of the cost of last year's Medicare legislation.



The suit was filed in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, hometown of Rep. Henry Waxman, one of 19 Democrats challenging the administration's refusal to provide the documents.


They are relying on a 1928 law that they assert enables seven lawmakers who serve on the same committee to obtain information from the administration.

snip

Bush and Thompson repeatedly said the legislation would cost no more than $400 billion over 10 years, even as Medicare's top analyst forecast it would cost at least $100 billion more.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=512&e=4&u=/ap/medicare_costs

[Mountainman]

1. Funny, the bill was passed and now we want to know how much it's going to

cost. Most seniors don't understand it. It gives away money to drug companies. It will send seniors to HMOs. It helps the insurance companies. It is a start in the direction of getting rid of Medicare. It won't lower costs for medical care.

I say let's throw it out. Why did we need to reform a program that works anyway?

[Shakespeare]

2. The issue isn't that they didn't know, it's that they were lied to...

The administration deliberately furnished incorrect figures--knowingly lied--to congress because they knew it wouldn't pass with the real figures, even among the republicans.

[crossroads]

3. It was *bad* legislation... why not repeal it?

:argh: