Wisconsin's governor goes to Washington to try to save SeniorCare , but what can he say or do that hasn't already been said and done?
By now, everybody knows that SeniorCare is touted as being better for 105,000 Wisconsin seniors, cheaper for seniors and the government, no donut holes, and it's not complicated. Governor Jim Doyle reminds the feds that they are the ones encouraging states to be innovative.
"You know they often talk about states being the laboratories of democracy. To let states try some new things to see what works better and what doesn't."
So, he says, the feds should extend the successful prescription drug program for seniors and use it as a national model of what works. Doyle is testifying (Wednesday at 9:15 a.m.) before the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging . U.S. Senator Herb Kohl chairs the hearing titled "Preserving SeniorCare: Affordable Drug Coverage That Works for Wisconsin."
"I'm just hoping that logic and good sense is going to prevail here and that the federal government and the Bush Administration isn't just so whetted to the idea that Medicare Part-D is such a great program that they're gonna force everybody into it."
Doyle's been through this before, and helped get the current waiver that expires at the end of June. So, what's his gut feeling on obtaining a second waiver? Doyle says with Democrats in the majority in Congress, maybe we've got some political clout.
"I'm just sort of hopeful that they'll say '…Nobody's complaining about it. Everybody likes this. It's not hurting anybody. In fact, it's helping a lot of people. Let's just let it be.'"