Democrats say Bush should outline Medicare fix

By Joanne Kenen

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Congressional Democrats on Thursday
challenged President George W. Bush to outline in his State of
the Union speech how he will fix what they consider a
disastrous start to the Medicare drug benefit.

“In his State of the Union next week, the president needs
to come clean and join Democrats in offering a real solution to
this disastrous program,” Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid
of Nevada told reporters.

Medicare provides health insurance for all Americans from
age 65 and some disabled people. Congress in 2003 added a
prescription drug benefit that became available this month.

In his annual address to the nation next week, Bush is
expected to discuss health care costs and coverage, but White
House officials have not said whether he will address any of
the problems the new drug benefit has encountered.

Many senior citizens have said they are confused by the
program, and many of the poorest older Americans ended up
without any coverage or unable to get their usual drugs amid a
flawed transition from state-based Medicaid to the new Medicare
plan.

Democrats have long criticized the Medicare law but have
stepped up their attacks in a congressional election year amid
widespread reports of problems.

Democrats also tried to link the Medicare law to lobbying
scandals, saying the Republicans wrote legislation that helped
drug companies and insurers more than older Americans.

“The American people paid the price of corruption,” House
Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi of California said.

Administration officials and congressional Republicans have
acknowledged flaws, but say they are working to fix them. They
also say they delivered on a promise to provide a drug benefit
to millions of Americans who have not had any help in paying
for their prescriptions in the past.

“I’m not trying to make excuses. Some of our nation’s
frailest, neediest beneficiaries have had difficulties in
getting their drugs. That clearly can’t go on, and we’re not
letting it go on,” Senate Finance Committee Chairman Charles
Grassley of Iowa said in a statement Thursday.

“But to suggest that neither the president nor the
Republican majority recognizes that there are issues with the
implementation is absolutely ludicrous,” added Grassley, who
said that administrative solutions would be faster than
legislation the Democrats have sought.

Democrats have called for both short-term fixes to the
program, such as helping the poor or extending enrollment
deadlines, and long-term changes to the plan’s overall
structure. Reid and Max Baucus of Montana, the top Democrat on
Grassley’s Finance Committee, wrote to Bush with a list of
specific legislative suggestions on Thursday.

Some moderate Republicans hearing complaints from
constituents and state officials have endorsed some of the
short-term solutions, but there is less enthusiasm for
revisiting the overall program.

(Additional reporting by Donna Smith)