Bending the Third Rail
Because We Should, We Can, We Do
Wednesday, January 25, 2006
Medical Shell Game
From Slate:

The Washington Post leads with President Bush's three-pronged plan to tackle rising health costs by shifting the burden of those costs from the employer to the individual. The centerpiece of the plan, which will be announced as part of the 2007 budget, is a tax break on personal health spending. USA Today leads with some grim statistics on the lack of participation by low-income elderly in the Medicare drug benefit plan.
Right out of the Republican playbook. We have a perscription drug bill written by the drug companies that is so complicated and difficult to implement that all but the most dauntless seniors throw up their hands and bail. This is a real win-win for conservatives and the drug companies. Conservatives benefit because they never wanted the plan in the first place. It's failure and reputation for failure will hinder future attempts at implementing entitlement programs. And the drug companies win because if you're in the program, the drug pricing is favorable to them, and if you opt out ... well, you're screwed like the rest of us with the world's highest drug prices.

Next up? Let's rescue those corporations from health care costs passing it on to individuals. Oh, they'll offer paltry tax breaks while corporations will reap a cut in 30% of their overall costs.

I want to offer a special "P.T. Barnum" award in this regard to Diane Feinstein, the California Democratic Senator who voted for the perscription drug program despite vigourous opposition by her constituents. Like so many Senators who are schmucks for comity in the Senate, she got suckered.
Written at 9:07 AM by Greyhair.
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