: cough :

AP reported on Saturday that

Medicare premiums for doctor visits are going up a record $11.60 a month next year. ...

Monthly payments for Part B of the government health care program for older and disabled Americans - doctor visits and most other non-hospital expenses - will jump to $78.20 from $66.60, a 17 percent increase, the administration said Friday.

The Shrubberies have tried to portray this as the result of a "strengthened" Medicare program, featuring a prescription drug benefit - you know, the one no one can figure out how to enroll in and which provides more benefits to insurance companies that to Medicare recipients and provides a huge indirect subsidy to pharmaceutical industry by banning government bulk purchases of medications. Yeah, that strengthened program.

With the projected increase, Part B Medicare premiums will have gone up nearly 40% in three years.