He says half the seniors in the district already have insurance that pays for all or most of their prescription drugs, and it is important that any new federal program not undermine private coverage. They don't want us to rip another page from the Hillary Clinton health care plan that failed a few years ago. Nevertheless, Republicans are clearly concerned about how the issue will play out in this fall's elections. It is more important to communicate that you have a plan as it is to communicate what is in the plan. Rising costs Drug costs are rising for everyone, not just seniors.
Seniors are particularly vulnerable.
Most working Americans with health coverage have some drug benefit. But Medicare, the national health plan for people 65 and older, is largely unchanged from its creation in the 1960s, when drug costs were mere incidentals. The program pays for doctor visits and hospital bills, but virtually no drugs are covered unless they are administered in a hospital. But many of these HMOs are dropping out of Medicare because it's not profitable. Casey says 31,000 seniors in his region will be set adrift by the recent decision of Blue Cross of Northeastern Pennsylvania to drop its First Priority Medicare plan at the end of this year.