Drugs are now the fastest-growing component of medical care.
Elderly people spend more on drugs than on doctor bills.
Medicare does not cover prescription drugs. Private supplemental Medigap policies are available, but the ones with good coverage cost hundreds of dollars a month. Ever since Medicare was enacted in 1965, drug companies have resisted adding full drug coverage to Medicare for fear of controls on drug prices and profits. Last month, on a party-line vote, the Republican House passed a bill to subsidize private insurers to offer partial drug coverage. The Clinton administration wants partial drug coverage for the elderly, directly through Medicare.