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Article: Hard pill to swallow.(Medicare drug bill)
- Article from:
- The Christian Century
- Article date:
- December 13, 2003
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2003 The Christian Century Foundation. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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THE LANDMARK Medicare drug bill passed by Congress last month has something in it for almost everyone to complain about. Senator Edward Kennedy (D., Mass.), who led the Democratic opposition to the bill, thinks it moves too much toward privatization. It relies on private companies to implement the drug benefit, includes significant new fees for most people, and requires Medicare in some areas to compete with private health maintenance organizations. Kennedy, justifiably angry that most Democrats were shut out of the legislative process, termed the bill "the first step toward dismantling Medicare."
The bill also prohibits the government from using its clout to ...