Wis. Governor Scolds Bush on Medicare

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Wis. Governor Scolds Bush on Medicare

By Siobhan McDonough, the Washington Post

January 10, 2004

WASHINGTON - Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle on Saturday criticized President Bush's Medicare overhaul, saying it is nothing more than a handout to prescription drug companies.

The companies profit while people who depend on medication "are forced to make inhumane and unbearable choices between food and medicine ... or cutting their pills in half," Doyle said in the Democrats' weekly radio address.

The Democratic governor said the Bush administration has done "nothing for those under 65, who aren't eligible for Medicare but often face exorbitant drug costs."

The government will spend nearly $400 billion over the next 10 years to subsidize prescription drug coverage, beginning January 2006. The government also will encourage insurance companies to offer private plans to millions of older Americans who receive health care benefits under terms fixed by the federal government.

Doyle said he was concerned about the fate of prescription drug benefits enacted by states like his own, which are more generous than those in the Medicare bill.

Wisconsin and other states save taxpayers millions of dollars every year by negotiating bulk discounts with pharmacies, he said. Because Wisconsin purchases in such large quantities for its 60,000 employees, it's able to bargain for much cheaper prices.

The Medicare bill prevents the federal government from doing the same thing, Doyle said.

"Instead of using Medicare's enormous bargaining power to get the best discounts for our seniors," he said, "American taxpayers and seniors will be forced to foot the bill for greater drug company profits."

Doyle called for revamping the new Medicare bill to allow the government to negotiate lower drug prices and allow seniors to purchase cheaper medicine from

Canada

. The Republican Congress had the chance to pass a bill clearing the way for reimportation, he said, but the measure died under intense pressure from drug company lobbyists.