LAT: Medicare Drug Program May Harm, Not Help, GOP

[zippy890]

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-medicare21jan21,0,6103188.story?coll=la-home-headlines
By Janet Hook 1/21/06

Only months ago, congressional Republicans thought the new Medicare prescription drug benefit would help them make political inroads among traditionally Democratic senior citizens. Instead, they are facing a potentially damaging backlash among members of that crucial voting bloc, their families and even conservative activists dismayed over the program's bungled launch.

...

It's no windfall politically," said Rep. Phil Gingrey (R-Ga.), a physician who voted for the program. "It could hurt us, but sometimes doing the right thing does hurt."

Some Republicans think the problem will blow over once the inevitable kinks are worked out. Recent opinion polls cast doubt on such optimism. They suggest that, even among Republicans, support for the program has eroded.

Democrats on Thursday stepped up their criticism of the program, which they said benefited big drug and insurance companies at the expense of the elderly. They also called for congressional action on the many start-up problems. Hundreds of thousands of seniors — mostly low-income — have had trouble getting their medicines, and many have been overcharged. About 20 states, including California, have jumped in with emergency assistance.

"This Medicare bill is the biggest government fiasco in recent memory," said Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.), chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.
...
"The fallout is likely to be huge," said an aide to a prominent conservative member of Congress who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak for his boss. "It's likely to anger seniors, while reminding the conservative base about the big government approach that Republicans took to healthcare."

...
-snip-

Fallout SHOULD be huge - this program is a fiasco and is hurting people,
g**damned republicans can't run the government in ANY form.

[sendero]

1. The Republicans have always claimed..

.... that Democrats never saw a problem they didn't think could be solved by throwing money at. As it turns out, Republicans never saw a problem they didn't think could be solved by throwing billions of dollars at big business.

This program is truly lose-lose. It spends billions we don't have and accomplishes very little.

[Deja Q]

7. Either way, big business still gets the money.

[sendero]

12. Yeah..

.... but at least when you funnel it through people, they get some benefit.

As soon as I heard that the Medicare benefit was going to cost a lot more than claimed, I knew this was another loot-the-Treasury program. Otherwise, the cost would have been understated.

[meganmonkey]

2. Really? I am SHOCKED!!!!

:rofl:

You mean, it isn't going well? Who woulda thunk it?

Honestly, I work in hunger relief and I have gotten calls from people looking for food resources specifically because of this bullshit, because of high co-pays or things not being covered anymore...Anecdotal of course, but I haven't heard ANYONE say this is a good program, and I work with a lot of low-income senior citizens...

:(

[nickyt]

3. "It's no windfall politically," said Rep. Phil Gingrey (R-Ga), a

physician who voted for the program. "It could hurt us, but sometimes doing the right thing does hurt."

With this pack of ghouls, "doing the right thing" can fuckin' KILL you.
GodIhatethesebastards.

[Deja Q]

10. Peak oil. Talk about "doing the right thing".

:tinfoilhat:

[Frustratedlady]

4. This Statement Just Struck Me...

...make political inroads among traditionally Democratic senior citizens.

I wonder why senior citizens are "traditionally" Democratic?

1) Senior citizens turn to the Democratic party due to wisdom and experience gained through life, or

2) Republicans die early.

[zippy890]

11. I wondered about that too

it doesn't make basic sense to me, but then nothing the repubs come up with does

[kevsand]

13. Senior citizens are "traditionally" Democratic because

Republicans are "traditionally" anti-senior. By that I mean that the history of the Republican party through the present day has been to oppose and/or undermine every significant program or reform designed to aid seniors. Social Security, Medicare, nursing home regulation, you name it, the Repubs are agin' it.

[UpInArms]

5. The question is "Who is Tom Scully?"

U.S. Medicare chief confirms he's resigning

WASHINGTON, Dec 3 (Reuters) - Tom Scully, the head of U.S. Medicare and Medicaid services, confirmed on Wednesday he was resigning, just a week after Congress passed a landmark bill that will provide a Medicare drug prescription benefit.

<snip>

"It has been a great run, and has been great fun working with, and learning from, (Health and Human Services) Secretary (Tommy) Thompson, who has been a great friend and mentor," Scully said in a statement.

Scully, who has been openly job hunting but has not said if he has a new position, said he stayed on to see through the Medicare prescription drug bill. The $395 billion overhaul of the federal health plan for the elderly was considered a victory for President George W. Bush.

"Watching the president and the secretary drive the Medicare bill across the finish line in the last few weeks was a very rewarding culmination to a very exciting and fulfilling three years," Scully said.

Under Scully, the agency formerly known as the Health Care Financing Administration became the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services. It oversees the state-federal health insurance plans for the poor, elderly and disabled.

"Tom Scully is leaving a different agency from the one he took over in 2001, an agency that has been re-energized by his leadership," Thompson said in a statement.

...more...

Jobs For the Boys

That the K Street Revolving Door has been spinning faster than ever during the current administration is old news by now. You can always tell which industry will benefit from the latest "leave no lobbyist behind" policy by noting which government officials leave their posts to take high-flying jobs with that industry as soon as they've finished crafting that policy.

So a list of ex-government employees who've moved on to insurance, pharmaceutical, law and PR companies (revealed in that bastion of liberal investigative journalism, the Wall Street Journal) reveals who are the primary beneficiaries of the barely-passed BushCo Medicare legislation.

At the top of the list is Tom Sculley, fomer chief of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, who left to set up the healthcare practice at the Washington office of law firm Alston & Bird LLP. After having written "the rules that determine who profits from Medicare -- and who doesn't", who better than Tom to help industry clients to read the small print. CMS, says Tom, is now "as important to drug makers' bottom line as the Food and Drug Administration".

Alston & Bird not only scored Tom but also the Senate Finance Committee lead staffer on the Medicare bill, Colin Roskey, and even Bob Dole. (Presumably Bob is there to star in TV commercials with Britney Spears for geriatric pharmaceuticals.)

...more...

[Frustratedlady]

9. Surprise! Surprise!

Pretty incredible, isn't it? It would be interesting to see how many former department heads of this administration left to take high-paying lobbyist positions.

At least he was smart enough to get out before the s* hit the fan.

[Deja Q]

6. In a word:

Oops.


And while "sometimes doing the right thing does hurt", just how the frig is revamping the program to make it exponentionally MORE CONFUSING than it had before right at all?

Phil Gingrey is being just a little bit obtuse...

[teryang]

8. Republican seniors are confused by the bill and resent it

But will it change anything. When this type of thing happens, older repukes rely on cynicism, "well, they're all crooks," and, "what do you expect, they're politicians."

There is an infinite well of forgiveness. Most people confronted with this stupid and complex bill, will just give up and get their prescription drugs however they can, the same way they always have.

[depakid]

14. "a physician who voted for the program"

From Georgia, of course. It generally takes a southerner or lower midwesterner to make such a studid comment about "doing the right thing," when you're causing countless people to uffer and die.

He probably thinks he's a "Christian," too.

[gizmo1979]

15. Yea think!

This has really pissed off the older folks.