CSE Urges NO Vote on S.1 , the “Prescription Drug and Medicare Improvement Act”

Dear Senator,

On behalf of the 280,000 members of Citizens for a Sound Economy (CSE), I urge you to vote NO on S 1, the “Prescription Drug and Medicare Improvement Act of 2003”.

In 2020, Medicare’s spiraling costs are projected to eat up 20 percent of all income tax revenue. The current fee-for-service Medicare program is unsustainable, and the Senate proposal will accelerate the Medicare crisis.

Further, the creation of a prescription drug entitlement will constitute the largest expansion of government since the Johnson administration, and one that creates trillions of dollars in unfunded liabilities for future taxpayers.

The Senate should only target the population segment that is currently uninsured. Any prescription drug expansion ought to be a defined benefit, not an open-ended entitlement. It is folly to extend a drug benefit to the 75 percent of seniors who currently have pharmaceutical coverage.

CSE believes real Medicare reform should include individual choice between competing private providers, to bring seniors innovation and market competition. Instead, the current legislation would further socialize and regulate our health care system.

CSE will count the vote on the “Prescription Drug and Medicare Improvement Act of 2003” as a KEY VOTE to be reported to our members in your state. This KEY VOTE will be used to determine your eligibility for our Jefferson Award, to be presented at the conclusion of the 108th Congress. This award is provided to those legislators who espouse the principles of limited government, lower taxes, and economic liberty.

Sincerely,

Paul Beckner,

President and CEO