Pelosi: Once Again, Bush Administration Proposing to Increase Rx Drug Premiums for Millions of Seniors

'Once again, the Bush Administration is proposing to increase premiums and deductibles on millions of seniors' prescription drug costs.  This ill-conceived plan is the result of the Bush Administration not paying for the poorly-designed drug plan Republicans passed four years ago.

'Before raising the out-of-pocket costs of seniors for their prescription drugs, the Administration ought to embrace provisions passed by the House earlier this year that would produce tens of billions in taxpayers' savings by phasing out the enormous overpayments to private Medicare Advantage plans, as recommended by the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission.

'The Administration's plan to raise seniors' drug costs illustrates a continued failure to recognize the serious problems in our health care system, from the President's damaging veto of the bill providing children's health insurance for 10 million children to his veto of life-saving stem cell medical research.'