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THE DAILY MIS-LEAD
http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=1316866&l=11193
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SCULLY SAYS MEDICARE "DUMB"; MILLIONS LOSE OUT ON PROMISE OF "BETTER
BENEFITS" UNDER NEW LAW
With President Bush's signing of the Medicare bill today, the 38-year old
program will indisputably be subject to its most significant reform ever.
But while the President has stated repeatedly that "Medicare is the binding
commitment of a caring society," his own Medicare administrator is on
record saying, "We think it's a dumb system." Moreover, the bill doesn't
go nearly as far as Bush's rhetoric on protecting seniors' savings suggests.
President Bush has praised Scully publicly, saying that he "joins me in a
strong commitment" to improving Medicare. But Mr. Scully has
described Medicare as "an unbelievable disaster," in front of senior
audiences. The same day that the president made his "binding commitment"
remarks, Scully essentially admitted to Congress that the administration
seeks to privatize pieces of Medicare, while downplaying the significance.
"The basic goal we have to privatize Medicare -- basically in there the most
optimistic assumptions for having people move into private plans, we're
probably talking about less than half of the people."
While Scully talks about privatization, seniors are focused on the extent of
the prescription drug coverage in the legislation. There's been much talk of
the "donut hole" coverage within the bill, requiring seniors to pay 25
percent of drug costs after a $250 deductible up to $2,250 and all costs
thereafter up to $5,100 at which point the program picks up 95 percent of
costs. President Bush claimed he supports reform that will "protect seniors
from high medical costs that can rob them of their savings." But some
analysts pointed out that the bill expressly prohibits seniors from
purchasing so-called "Medigap" coverage that could help defray costs.
The President also said that reform "must place patients and their doctors
at the center of every health care decision." But the formularies that will
be created under Medicare (the type and list of drugs that qualify for
coverage) will be determined by insurer-created committees, including how
high to set the beneficiary payment for each drug.
And while the President insists that his reform intends to give "more
choices and better benefits," an estimated 2.7 million retirees will likely
lose their coverage from employers, and an additional 6.4 million poor
seniors are expected to lose their Medicaid coverage.
Meanwhile, Scully has submitted his resignation, saying he's "checking out
of Dodge," as a bidding war occurs among law firms who could benefit from
his intimate knowledge of the legislation.
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