Rx DRUG COSTS: Voters Back Drug Benefit Plan, Survey Says

      According to a survey released today by the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, a majority of voters want Medicare to deliver a prescription drug benefit program, not private insurance plans, CongressDaily/A.M. reports. The poll, which sampled responses from 825 voters, including 200 seniors, showed that prescription drug coverage was a "top priority" among voters, with 32% choosing it as the most important of a number of popular issues. In addition, 55% supported a universal drug benefit for the elderly, rather than one that only covers lower-income seniors. "Fully 72% of voters say that Medicare needs to be involved [in prescription drug coverage] because current forms of coverage are eroding, while just 22% of voters oppose a Medicare-based program," the study found. Currently, House and Senate Democrats and the White House are working on a unified plan, while House Republicans are still fine-tuning their own proposal (Fulton, 5/9).