The Politics of Medicare

Jeff Birnbaum and Claudia Deane have written a good article that exposes the gamesmanship of the perscription drug benefit issue in this morning's Washington Post . Here's a sampling of their article:

Millions of senior citizens have not signed up for and do not know much about Medicare's new prescription drug benefit, but among those who have enrolled, three-quarters said the paperwork was easy to complete and nearly two-thirds said the program saved them money , the latest Washington Post-ABC News poll shows.

If I were running the White House communications team, I'd be trumpeting that on a daily basis. Trumpet the fact that signup is relatively simple. Trumpet the fact that it saves people money. Lots of money. I'd trumpet these facts because seniors are the most reliable voting block in America and they're the most Democratic cohort in most elections. If Republicans can grab a bigger share of their votes, that can make a huge difference in a number of races.

But many Democrats are convinced that Republicans misjudged. They have attacked the program as too complex and costly, and say it was written to benefit pharmaceutical companies more than consumers. Bush defended the plan yesterday in front of seniors in Missouri and Iowa. "We had people say the prescription drug plan is just simply a hollow promise, or the bill will leave millions of seniors worse off," he said in Jefferson City, Mo. "That's not the facts. See, when you cut through all the rhetoric and look at the results, I think people are going to be amazed at what's available."

That Democrats would criticize a largely Republican bill isn't surprising; it's totally predictable. What's needed at that point, though, is to tear down the criticism with facts and testimonials from people who've gone through the process. Here's some examples of the testimonials that I'd herald:

Sharon Tuller of Des Moines was reluctant to sign up because she had heard horror stories about the paperwork. But she learned from a friend about a nonprofit group that made the process painless. She and her husband, a retired school administrator, made an appointment with the group and completed their sign-up in just 20 minutes. "We thought it was going to be this horrible experience," said Tuller, 66. "It turned out to be quite the opposite."

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Retiree Nancy Hooper of Williamsburg, Iowa, 67, worried that the savings from Part D would not be worth the hassle, or the extra premium. But the cost of medications for herself and her husband were reduced by more than half, even after figuring in their $53.10 monthly premium. "I was so happy," she said.

These testimonials demolish the biggest criticisms Democrats have made: that signup is too complicated and that it doesn't save seniors much money. I say Let the demolition begin. Further, I'd highlight that Democrats are implying that our nation's seasoned citizens aren't capable of figuring out the forms. Finally, I'd highlight that Democrats are hurting seniors by discouraging them from signing up solely for political purposes.

Frankly, I'd include these testimonials in advertisements that would run on cable TV and in newspapers. At the bottom of the page or at the end of the commercial, I'd ask the question "Why are Democrats scaring people away from saving money? Tell Democrats this November that you reject their politics of fear and division."

Ads like that automatically put Democrats on the defensive because they'll have to explain their criticisms of the plan. When they do, they'll lose whatever credibility they have on the issue.

The GOP being on offense is the best position to be in.

Cross-posted at California Conservative

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Posted Wednesday, April 12, 2006 7:34 AM

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