Bush To Discuss Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit in Atlanta
President Bush plans to travel to Atlanta on Friday to hold a conversation with Medicare beneficiaries about the new prescription drug benefit, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. The visit is part of an ongoing effort by the Bush administration to educate beneficiaries about the prescription drug benefit.
However, Bill Brown, communications director for the Georgia chapter of AARP, said that some Medicare beneficiaries have raised concerns about the prescription drug benefit, such as the gap in coverage for those with annual medication costs between $2,250 and $5,100.
Meanwhile, Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm (D) at the National Governors Conference in Iowa this weekend said that as many as 17 governors might file suit over the Medicare prescription drug benefit. The governors maintain that the prescription drug benefit could increase the amount states have to pay for beneficiaries eligible for both Medicaid and Medicare (Baxter, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 7/19).
Additional information on the Medicare drug benefit is available online.