| Half Loaves for the Few |
7 July 2003
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Democrats' Prescription Debate Shows Loss of Conviction
Ask a conservative American whether Senator Dianne Feinstein of California or Senator Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts is more liberal, and a long pause will follow while the decision is weighed. Yet when it comes to the pending prescription drug benefit in the latest Medicare bill in Congress, these two arch-liberals are on opposite sides of the wrong fence. No wonder the country has shifted to the right in the last 40 years.
Senator Feinstein wants the program means tested, and Senator Kennedy does not. For people making under $75,000 a year or for older couples with income of $150,000 yearly, the bill would have them paying $700 a year for prescriptions, about what they pay now. In the $75-100,000 range, the price would be $1400 and for those with incomes over $100,000 per year, they would have to pay the full $2,800 a year. Her argument is simple, "The rich can afford it, so let them pay more and keep the program from becoming too expensive."
Senator Kennedy's objection is more convoluted but also holds water. If the richest 3% are excluded, as under Senator Feinstein's proposed amendment that Senator Don Nickles (R-Oklahoma) is co-sponsoring, they will not support the program. They will chose to opt out, and the entire edifice will be endangered.
Unfortunately, the Senators have forgotten about those under the age of 65. At $60,000 a year, a retiree is still making more money than most working Americans, who will still not get a special break on medication. At over $100,000, the $2,800 payment is still about half of what it costs a diabetic under the age of 65 to pay for management of the condition.
Old folks do have greater need for prescription medicines than younger people -- that is a fact of aging and the human life cycle. Yet there is something appalling about a government hand-out of pills to wealthy retirees paid for by the taxes on those whose paychecks can't provide the luxury of seeing a doctor. Maybe the Senators should consider letting every American opt into the program.