Legislative Background
Recent Action on Medicare Reform
The current Congress (the 108th) is the third in a row in which legislators attempted to add prescription drug coverage to Medicare. In each of the two previous cases, a Republican-endorsed bill passed the House but not the Senate. In 2003, with the Republicans in control of both houses, the outcome was different. In late November, Congress cleared and the President signed legislation that provides, for the first time, prescription drug coverage for seniors under Medicare. The provision is part of a broad Medicare reform bill, enacted following a year-long congressional debate.House and Senate Passage. In late June, the House…
