We could Medicareless, cont.

It would be nice to chalk this up to unforeseen consequences, but that would imply that had the consequences been foreseen, the Shrubberies¹ would have cared.

Washington, Jan. 3 - State officials say the new Medicare drug benefit provides less help to low-income elderly people than some state pharmaceutical assistance programs, and they are searching for ways to make sure state residents are not worse off as a result of the federal law.

More than 1.5 million people now receive help with drug costs through local programs in 30 states, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. The federal law has created great uncertainty in most of those states, posing a challenge for legislators who will soon convene in state capitals. ...

These officials, still struggling to understand the federal law, predict that many beneficiaries will be confused as longstanding arrangements are disrupted and replaced with private Medicare plans offering different packages of drug benefits under different sets of rules.

Moreover, state officials say that some low-income people may see their benefits reduced because the private plans are likely to cover fewer drugs than some state programs.

But since such folks are not one of the politically influential constituencies Bush wants to avoid offending, who cares?

¹Shrubberies: n., acolytes of Shrub