GORE/Clinton To FORCE GOP Hand On Rx Drugs
cracked_...@my-deja.com
his shoes with the GOP's gluteus-maximus yet...The Republicans are going
to sign his prescription drug bill, or once again they are going to shut
DOWN the government in OCTOBER.
Meanwhile Gore's plan is out there and being roundly accepted by
voters...Conversely, GOP has Dick Cheney on Sunday talking-head shows
saying :
'more details on the GOP prescription package would be forthcoming "in
the not-too-distant future."....'
HHAHAHAHAHA !...the GOP is once again proving that their policies are:
'Abstract art in the making'...one canvas , twelve painters, and dry
brushes'.
Gore Focuses on Prescription Plan
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A34654-2000Aug28.html
By Mike Glover
Associated Press Writer
Monday , August 28, 2000
WASHINGTON –– Al Gore is opening a weeklong focus on health care by
telling older voters that his plan for prescription drug coverage is a
winner for them while Republican rival George W. Bush's approach is
antifamily.
Gore was headed Monday for Tallahassee, Fla., and a roundtable
discussion with seniors in a key electoral state as part of the
Democratic presidential nominee's effort to reshape the campaign debate.
Polls have suggested that voters view Gore as the candidate more likely
to boost the nation's health care system, and his campaign was moving on
a number of fronts to put the issue front and center.
In Florida, a state with a large elderly population, Gore has chosen to
focus on helping pay for prescription drugs, a big worry for many older
voters.
"This is an issue that's important to seniors, but it's also important
to families," said spokesman Chris Lehane. "George W. Bush's approach to
health care is hostile to America's families because it holds them
hostage to the agenda of the prescription drug companies and the HMOs."
Meanwhile, Bush was gathering teachers at the Texas governor's mansion
in Austin on Monday to discuss his education proposals, his campaign's
top legislative priority.
It was the first event of a crucial week for the GOP nominee, who is
intent on at least pulling even in the polls by Labor Day, the
traditional beginning of campaign season. On Tuesday, he begins a
three-day campaign trip to Maine, New Hampshire and the battleground
states of Pennsylvania, Ohio and Kentucky.
While Gore was hitting the road, surrogates were making the case in
Washington.
Health and Human Services Secretary Donna Shalala held a conference call
Sunday with reporters to praise Gore's plan and argue that Bush hasn't
really offered much on prescription drugs. The campaign's theme was that
Bush spends all the surplus on a big tax cut and leaves nothing for
other key programs.
"If they do roll out a plan, where are they going to get the money to
pay for it?" she asked.
Of Gore's proposal, Shalala declared: "It's affordable and voluntary and
we pay for it."
Bush has voiced support for plans offered by congressional Republicans
that would offer a subsidy to insurance companies for providing drug
coverage for low-income seniors.
Running mate Dick Cheney said Sunday that more details on the GOP
prescription package would be forthcoming "in the not-too-distant
future."
By focusing on Gore's prescription plan, campaign strategists say they
are aiming at the 39 million seniors covered by Medicare, a demographic
group that votes in higher numbers than any others. Senior policy aides
said they want to focus on that piece of the health care puzzle because
Gore's plan is broader.
Under Gore's proposal, Medicare would pick up all the costs of
prescription drugs for low-income seniors – as much as a third of that
group. For the rest, Medicare would pay half the cost of prescription
drugs up to $5,000 a year.
No one would pay more than $4,000 a year for prescription drugs, under
Gore's proposal, estimated to cost $253 billion over 10 years.
The GOP put forth Tennessee Sen. Bill Frist to argue that the Republican
plan offers more choices. "Seniors won't have the wool pulled over their
eyes," Frist, the only physician in the Senate, told reporters.
Moving to blunt Gore's momentum on the issue, Bush has launched
television ads boosting his proposals, while the Republican National
Committee this wins begins running ads blasting Gore's proposals.
To counter that, Gore brought out former Food and Drug Administration
chief David Kessler to label Bush's commercials "false and misleading"
and say they wouldn't meet FDA standards for truth in advertising.
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C_S
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"It won't be long now, ... help is on the way" --
`~ The Curly-Lipped-ChickenHawk ~`
Dick 'The Head' Cheney
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Before you buy.
cracked_...@my-deja.com
cracked_...@my-deja.com wrote:
> You better watch out for Al, but especially Bill...he's not done
> shining
> his shoes with the GOP's gluteus-maximus yet...The Republicans are
C_S