Politics

The <I>Gore</I> Drug Plan?

By CBSNews.com staff CBSNews.com staff

February 15, 2001 / 6:25 PM EST / CBS

A new prescription drug proposal gained steam Thursday, picking up support from key Republicans who have decided that President Bush's plan for providing prescription drugs to seniors will be allowed to die a quiet death, reports CBS News Chief Washington Correspondent Bob Schieffer.

Instead, they will push a bipartisan plan that follows the approach taken during the campaign by Al Gore — a plan that makes prescription drugs available as a benefit of the Medicare entitlement program.

The approach is part of a broad overhaul of Medicare sponsored by two senators, Democrat John Breaux of Louisiana and Republican Bill Frist of Tennessee, who believe there is a growing consensus to make prescription drugs part of Medicare.

"Prescription drugs should be part of Medicare. I don't think there's a difference among any group or organization that feels that it should not," Breaux said.

The Congressional Budget Office estimates the Breaux-Frist plan for all seniors would cost $163 billion over 10 years.

A cornerstone of Gore's campaign was making prescription drug coverage a part of Medicare, but Mr. Bush has opposed that approach as too expensive. Mr. Bush backs a limited plan that would provide coverage only to the poorest seniors. He wants to give states a $12 billion a year lump payment that they could distribute to seniors who needed help buying drugs.

But now, Republican Sen. Charles Grassley of Iowa, the new chairman of the Senate Finance Committee who will play the key role in shaping Medicare reform, said Thursday he favors the Breaux-Frist approach to make drugs a part of Medicare, a view other key Republicans are coming to share.

Key Republican support makes the chances better than ever that prescription drug legislation will be passed this year. So, in a presidential campaign that had many ironies, add one more.