what's he care, it's not his money
Bush vows to preserve drug benefit
Says he'd veto any effort to scale back Medicare plan
By Rick Klein, Globe Staff | February 12, 2005
WASHINGTON -- Seeking to avoid a distracting fight over Medicare while he tries to focus his political ammunition on Social Security, President Bush yesterday promised to veto any attempt to scale back the Medicare prescription drug program before it goes into effect next year.
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Bush's fellow Republicans have been threatening to cut the benefit out of fear of its growing cost. Though White House budget chief Joshua Bolten on Wednesday told lawmakers that the administration would be willing to work with Congress on cost-control measures, Bush sought to shut the door on such talk yesterday.
''I signed Medicare reform proudly, and any attempt to limit the choices of our seniors and to take away their prescription drug coverage under Medicare will meet my veto," Bush said at a swearing-in ceremony for new Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt. ''For decades we promised America's seniors that we can do better, and we finally did. Now we must keep our word."
On Tuesday, the White House revealed that the medication benefit is expected to cost at least $724 billion over the next 10 years, even though Congress approved it in 2003 expecting the cost to be $400 billion. Republicans in the House and Senate responded by saying they would try to reduce spending through options such as limiting enrollment, reducing the number of available drugs, or raising copayments.
Despite Bush's threat, some Republicans said they would move forward with proposals to limit costs. Representative Jeff Flake, an Arizona Republican, said Bush's calls for fiscal responsibility demand that the prescription drug benefit be subject to scrutiny.
''I can't imagine that he would veto something and cause us to spend more money, not less," said Flake, who is pushing a measure that would make the benefit available only to low-income seniors. ''I just don't think that the president wants his first veto to be on a bill that makes the Congress finally fiscally responsible."