President Bush commented on the value of the Medicare drug benefit, stressing that campaigning Republicans should remember to mention the success of Part D in their travels around the country.
Polls have shown that 80% of enrolled seniors are satisfied with their Medicare Part D plan.
"I think this is a fantastic program, but more importantly, so do the seniors," he said in an interview with The Associated Press. "My own view is our candidates and the people who voted for this ought to be out there traveling to senior centers all over their districts and their state saying, 'Look what we did,'" Bush said.
The administration estimates that the average elderly or disabled person will save about $1,100 annually on medicine.
The president advocates competition by private insurance companies as the backbone of Part D. Democrats would prefer that the government negotiate the drug prices.
"There is a fundamental disagreement and that is: Who should be making decisions for consumers?" Bush said. "Obviously there's a group of folks that feel like the government can do a better job than the consumers themselves. We strongly believe that empowering consumers is the appropriate way to promote quality in health care."
Karen Smith, a pharmacist in
(source: Kevin Freking, The Associated Press 10/20/06)