By Richard E Walrath 

The Bush drug plan for Medicare recipients is costing something like $700 billion over ten years. As we know, this plan has a big hole in the middle of each year when you’re on your own when you need a prescription filled.  But you keep on making monthly payments to your insurance company, or you lose your drug insurance.

They keep cutting Medicare payments to doctors and hospitals in order to help pay for the subsidies and welfare payments to the insurance companies and prescription drug manufactures under the Bush drug plan. 

Medicare is forbidden to negotiate prices so the drug manufacturers can set whatever prices they feel like.  Insurance companies are subsidized to make sure they will offer plans.  This is known as the free market system.