Kerry Vows to Ease Seniors' Health Costs
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By MARY DALRYMPLE, Associated Press Writer
MILWAUKEE - Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry promised a group of senior citizens Tuesday that he would
ease the financial pinch caused by the escalating price of doctors,
hospitals and medicine as it outpaces annual increases in Social
Security benefits.
"Seniors are finding things more and more
out of reach as the expenses go up but their
ability to meet it does not go up," Kerry
said. President Bush
worsened the squeeze on older voters,
Kerry said, by crafting a Medicare
prescription drug benefit that won't lower
drug costs, helping drive up premiums for
the Medicare program.
"George Bush has had
four years to lead, four years to give
America a direction, four years to bring
corporate America to the table, and the
health care industry, and say we've got a
problem," he said.
Kerry pointed to Health and Human Services
Department data
obtained by a congressional office that
projects Medicare will consume 37 percent
of the average Social Security benefit in
2006. USA Today reported the data on
Tuesday.
Last year, the department projected
Medicare would consume 17 percent of the
average benefit in 2010.
The Democrat offered his own prescription
to help seniors, which includes retooling the
Medicare drug benefit to allow the
government to negotiate for bulk drug
discounts and permitting Americans to
import drugs from Canada. The Bush
administration has concerns about the
safety of imported drugs.
Kerry defended himself against Republican charges that his health plan
will force everyone onto government-run health care.
"We don't have a government program," he said. "I have no new
bureaucracy at all in my program. You choose your doctor. You choose
your plan."
The Bush-Cheney campaign said Kerry's record doesn't match his
campaign promises.
"John Kerry has voted eight times for higher taxes on senior citizens'
Social Security benefits," said spokesman Steve Schmidt. "He wants to
repeal the prescription drug benefit that is helping senior citizens."
The campaigns have been using television ads in closely divided states
like Wisconsin to battle each other over Medicare and rising health care
costs.
The race for Wisconsin's 10 electoral votes has been close. Both
candidates have made a half-dozen trips to the state this year, trying to
win the votes that Al Gore captured by a tiny margin
in 2000.
Kerry frequently faults the new Medicare prescription drug benefit, which
goes into full effect next year, for doing little to lower drug costs. He
says the drug program and the administration's mismanagement drove
up Medicare premiums increases, which will make a record jump under
the government's legal formula.
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