This Policy Paper assesses legislative proposals to add an outpatient prescription drug benefit to the Medicare program and their implications for the delivery of services and the welfare of beneficiaries in rural areas. Included are comments on five proposals introduced in the 107th Congress: one that was passed by the House of Representatives, an alternative proposed in the House, and three that were voted on, but did not pass, in the Senate (to advance a proposal in the Senate required 60 votes).
This report was written by RUPRI Health Panel Members: Andrew Coburn, Charles Fluharty, J. Patrick Hart, A. Clinton MacKinney, Timothy McBride, Keith Mueller, Rebecca Slifkin, Mary Wakefield; published Jan. 9, 2003.
