NYT: Weighing Kerry's Critique of Bush on Medicare

[Robbien]

By DAVID E. ROSENBAUM

Published: September 23, 2004

his is what Mr. Kerry said the other day in St. Louis, remarks that were similar to those he has made elsewhere:

"Americans now 45 million strong have no health insurance at all: 5 million more than the day George W. Bush took office.

"And after four years of action, four years of nothing, four years of no action, four years of no concern, four years of no meetings at which they really pulled people together and said, 'How do we solve this problem together as Americans?,' four years of no mention of those who are struggling to afford health care, suddenly the president finally told us last week that he actually had a plan.

"Well, if you were wondering what it was, you only had to wait 24 hours to find out, because the very next day he raised Medicare premiums by 17 percent - the biggest increase in Medicare in the history of our country.

"And here's the kicker: A lot of that money is nothing more than a windfall transferred payment from your pockets right into the health care companies and the H.M.O.'s. They're charging 17 percent more for Medicare while making America pay $200 billion for a go-it-alone policy in Iraq."

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/23/politics/campaign/23fact.html