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President Sends Prescription Drug Plan to Congress

Wed, 01/31/2001 - 12:00am — Karen Stevenson
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President Bush quietly sent his prescription drug plan to Congress Monday. It was mentioned during a White House press briefing, where some reporters suggested that the lack of fanfare might be due to a concern that the plan is not likely to do well on Capitol Hill, but White House press secretary Ari Fleischer denied that, and responded, "We have other busy events tomorrow and the following day. It's always just a question of scheduling. But the President is committed to it, and we're going to send it up and see what we can't make happen. But we are aware that there are some sensitivities on this issue. Some concerns have been raised."

The Bush administration is asking for the government to provide and "Immediate Helping Hand" for four years by channeling funding through state Medicare drug assistance programs. His proposal is to pay all drug bills for single recipients with annual incomes under $11,600 and married recipients with annual incomes under $15,700. Medicare would pay up to half the cost of a prescription drug plan for single recipients with incomes between $11,600 and $15,000, and married recipients with incomes between $15,700 and $20,300.

Ways and Means Chairman Bill Thomas (R-CA) said of the proposal, "Our first and highest priority should be to modernize Medicare with a prescription drug benefit for all seniors, but finding consensus has been challenging and will take time. As we work on a comprehensive plan to improve Medicare, Congress should always remain open to ideas to give timely coverage for those seniors struggling to make ends meet." Bush's new secretary of health and human services, Tommy Thompson, told senators that comprehensive reform may take some time to achieve, and suggested that Congress focus for now on passing Bush's prescription drug plan while a White House task force looks at ways to fix the Medicare system as a whole.

Democrats have strongly criticized the proposal, and vow to torpedo it. Michigan Rep. David Bonior and other Democrats said they would introduce their own prescription drug package that would benefit all Medicare recipients rather than a smaller pool of poor seniors that Bush has singled out for coverage. Even some Republicans, like Tennessee Republican Senator Bill Frist, have expressed doubts about the proposal as it stands.

President Bush quietly sent his prescription drug plan to Congress Monday. It was mentioned during a White House press briefing, where some reporters suggested that the lack of fanfare might be due to a concern that the plan is not likely to do well on Capitol Hill, but White House press secretary Ari Fleischer denied that, and responded, "We have other busy events tomorrow and the following day. It's always just a question of scheduling. But the President is committed to it, and we're going to send it up and see what we can't make happen. But we are aware that there are some sensitivities on this issue. Some concerns have been raised."

The Bush administration is asking for the government to provide and "Immediate Helping Hand" for four years by channeling funding through state Medicare drug assistance programs. His proposal is to pay all drug bills for single recipients with annual incomes under $11,600 and married recipients with annual incomes under $15,700. Medicare would pay up to half the cost of a prescription drug plan for single recipients with incomes between $11,600 and $15,000, and married recipients with incomes between $15,700 and $20,300.

Ways and Means Chairman Bill Thomas (R-CA) said of the proposal, "Our first and highest priority should be to modernize Medicare with a prescription drug benefit for all seniors, but finding consensus has been challenging and will take time. As we work on a comprehensive plan to improve Medicare, Congress should always remain open to ideas to give timely coverage for those seniors struggling to make ends meet." Bush's new secretary of health and human services, Tommy Thompson, told senators that comprehensive reform may take some time to achieve, and suggested that Congress focus for now on passing Bush's prescription drug plan while a White House task force looks at ways to fix the Medicare system as a whole.

Democrats have strongly criticized the proposal, and vow to torpedo it. Michigan Rep. David Bonior and other Democrats said they would introduce their own prescription drug package that would benefit all Medicare recipients rather than a smaller pool of poor seniors that Bush has singled out for coverage. Even some Republicans, like Tennessee Republican Senator Bill Frist, have expressed doubts about the proposal as it stands.