Eighteen research papers, 35 online memos, 12 essays and 60Medicare Maladies. That's how much Heritage Foundation experts havewritten so far this year on proposals pending before Congress thatwould add prescription drugs as a Medicare entitlement.
Lawmakers struggling to add prescription drugs to Medicare without busting the federal budget have several government models to consider-and most lawmakers are ignoring them. For example, The New York Times profiled a Department of Veterans Affairs program Sept. 4 that allows millions of veterans to gets prescription drugs, but noted that lawmakers have "disregarded" it as they work on a compromise bill to send to President Bush.