Deborah Koff Ross: “after years of talk about the need to help our seniors with the high cost of prescription drugs, it appears that…”

“after years of talk about the need to help our seniors with the high cost of prescription drugs, it appears that sometime this week, or perhaps this weekend, this Congress will be voting. They will be voting on a bill that is nothing more than a false hope and a false promise for America's seniors. In fact, Max Richmond, the head of the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, a nonpartisan, not bipartisan, but a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization, has been quoted as saying, ``Have you ever heard of Medicare fraud? Well, this Republican prescription drug bill is Medicare fraud.'' Let me tell you why. As I see it, there are three major problems with the bill. Problem number one: the Republican leadership actually had the nerve to put language in the bill that says the Federal Government shall be prohibited from negotiating with the big drug manufacturers to bring down the high cost of medicine. That is in the bill. Then they call it a seniors bill. Problem number two is the prescription drug plan will be privatized. And what is worse than that is the rest of Medicare could very well be privatized by 2010 under this bill.”