Lieberman Vows to Work on Medicare Reform

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Lieberman Vows to Work on Medicare Reform

By Mike Glover, Guardian

May 27, 2003

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa - Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman has signed a pledge committing to push for revamping the Medicare system which has Iowa getting the lowest reimbursement in the nation.

``There's a good case made here,'' Lieberman said Monday. ``I think there's a good claim here.''

Lieberman signed a formal pledge offered by Democratic Rep. Leonard Boswell to all nine candidates seeking the Democratic presidential nomination.

In that pledge, candidates are asked to acknowledge that disparities exist in the Medicare reimbursement system and they agree to push for changes.

``I hereby pledge to address that inequity by working to narrow the gap in reimbursement rates,'' the pledge says.

Boswell, D-Iowa, is among a series of high-profile Democrats pushing for Medicare changes.

``This was first mentioned to me in 2000,'' Lieberman said.

Congress addressed the issue when it debated a $350 billion tax cut sought by President Bush. A proposal to overhaul the Medicare system was attached and got 86 votes in the Senate. It was dropped before the final passage under pressure from the White House.

That's left the issue hotly partisan.

``It's a real disappointment that the Republican majorities in the House and Senate didn't hold the provision in,'' Lieberman said.

He said that dropping the issue was doubly disappointing because Bush was certain to sign the tax bill into law, meaning Medicare reform could have actually happened after years of rhetoric on the issue.

``That was the moment,'' Lieberman said. ``They've lost momentum and I don't know whether they can get it back.''

The issue is especially important in Iowa because of its heavy elderly population. Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, heads the Senate Finance Committee and pushed hard for the Medicare provision but reluctantly agreed to drop it under pressure from the White House.

President Bush did send Grassley a letter pledging to deal with Medicare down the road, but Lieberman dismissed that as cosmetic.

``I don't want a letter, I want action,'' Lieberman said.

Lieberman spoke during a meeting with about 50 Democratic activists in Cedar Rapids during his latest swing through the state where precinct caucuses launch the nominating season.

Lieberman paused for a moment of silence at 3 p.m. to mark Memorial Day.

He used his swing to launch a sharp attack on Bush's domestic policies which he said had plunged the nation into recession.

In addition, he said Bush has broken a campaign policy to govern from the middle and instead pursued a right wing domestic agenda.

``This president promised to change the tone in Washington D.C. And he has,'' Lieberman said. ``He's made it worse.''

Lieberman pointed to soaring budget deficits that mark a sharp turnaround from President Clinton's administration when budget surpluses abounded.

``We've become the party of fiscal responsibility,'' Lieberman said. ``Isn't it amazing?''

He pointed to poverty statistics showing that 7.7 million Americans were able to work their way out of poverty during Clinton's tenure, while 1.5 million have fallen into poverty during Bush's tenure in office.

Lieberman stumped in Waterloo and Cedar Rapids on Monday.

Lieberman has a far smaller organization than some of his major rivals but supporters hope to score in urban areas among the Jewish community and do better than expected in the caucuses.