Chicago Sun-Times: Democrats rip GOP plan for Medicare competition

WASHINGTON -- Republican congressional leaders struggled Thursday to shelter their emerging Medicare prescription drug legislation from the rising opposition of Senate Democrats and the recalcitrance of a powerful GOP committee chairman.

"This program is untested. It's untried. ... It's playing roulette with the lives of senior citizens," said Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D- Mass.), taking aim at a feature that would put traditional Medicare in direct competition with new private insurance plans beginning in 2010.

But if Democrats argued that the call for competition went too far, Rep. Bill Thomas, the lead House negotiator over months of negotiations, argued it didn't go far enough. "It's guaranteed not to work," he said of the plan, while one of its authors, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) stood by his side.

At its core, the emerging bill would provide seniors a prescription drug benefit beginning in 2006, at a cost of $35 a month. Those with low incomes would receive subsidies to defray the cost. At the same time, the plan would encourage private insurance companies to offer coverage under preferred provider organizations for seniors willing to opt out of traditional Medicare.

While lawmakers clashed over one of the few remaining issue in dispute, President Bush said in Florida it was time for Congress to act "for today's seniors but also for tomorrow's retirees."

In his remarks, the president made no specific reference to the proposal brokered by Frist and Speaker Dennis Hastert and embraced thus far by only two Senate Democrats.

Despite the sharp rhetoric in the Capitol, GOP leadership aides said the legislation remained on track to be brought to a vote next week, and Democrats stopped short of threatening a filibuster that could delay or derail passage in the Senate.

Already, the special interests were beginning to line up.

The American Hospital Association announced its support of the bill, pleasing Republicans.

GOP officials also said they expected to gain the approval of the politically influential AARP.

Republicans argue that the new private health plans would help modernize Medicare and possibly give seniors access to benefits such as preventive health care that are not currently covered by the government-run program. At the same time, they hope it will slow the growth in the cost of the program.