But the truth is that under the President's plan, no senior gets much help. You know it. The White House estimates drug expenditures to be growing by 11 percent in 2009. But most health plans are experiencing a 15 percent growth today. And there will be far more drugs available in 10 years.
Liberals never take into account increased utilization when the government subsidizes something.
If the government pays half the cost, that's like a half-priced sale. Currently, about 65 percent of Medicare beneficiaries have a prescription drug benefit. Thus, the federal government would use tax dollars to subsidize its own health plan, even as it complains about the high cost of private coverage. Of course, there are some seniors who are faced with significant prescription drug expenses that they cannot afford. The National Center for Policy Analysis is a public policy research institute founded in 1983 and internationally known for its studies on public policy issues.