The Bush administration said CMS will reimburse states for covering the cost of prescriptions during the first weeks of the Medicare Part D rollout, after weeks of saying it would not do so. CMS administrator Dr. Mark McClellan said yesterday that the administration "would use its influence" to force insurers offering Medicare drug coverage to reimburse the states. More than two dozen states have stepped in to provide short-term coverage for Medicare recipients following reports that many have been unable to obtain needed medicines.
- see this article from The New York Times
ALSO: New numbers show far fewer low-income seniors are signing up for the new drug plan than projected. Article
PLUS: The Washington Post reports that the Bush health plan will seek to help the uninsured by offering new tax breaks for medical expenses. Article