Upping the price

Scripps Howard News Service: A new drug entitlement under Medicare would cost the government $400 billion over the next 10 years, said the Bush administration and Republican leaders in Congress as they pushed for passage. Critics responded in twofold fashion, saying that the stated amount was ruinously excessive in this time of runaway spending and that it would actually be more, much, much more.
Right on, critics. In no time at all, the administration has agreed that the cost will be a third higher than those earlier prognostications -- $530 billion, not $400 billion. Some think-tank analysts who have been watching such issues for a long time say we haven't seen the end of revisions yet, that the final bill will more likely be $800 billion.
Finding the culprit
The Democrats say the fault resides in not sufficiently punishing the drug companies for wanting to maintain profits that make the further development of life-saving, health-protecting drugs possible. The real culprit is the absolutely stupefying notion that we should proffer drug assistance to all Medicare recipients when most of them have no need for the help.
If the drug bill had been aimed at helping those who are really up against it, the measure would have been justified and relatively inexpensive. The drug bill was aimed instead at winning elections, even if the public good would suffer enormously as spending grows at a rate that could affect economic growth through high interest rates or crippling taxes or both.