Means Test Sought for Medicare Drug Plan

By Jonathan Weisman
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, October 5, 2007; Page A01

The Bush administration is advancing a proposal to levy higher premiums and deductibles on upper-income seniors enrolled in Medicare's new prescription drug benefit, raising fees on beneficiaries with incomes over about $80,000 a year, administration officials said yesterday.

The administration is working with Sen. John Ensign (R-Nev.) to attach to upcoming legislation a "means testing" provision that would save the government billions of dollars. In the past, however, similar proposals have been blocked by the furious response of seniors.

"You say it saves money and these people can afford it, but it also eats away at the incomes of seniors. It erodes their sense of the reliability on these federal programs, and it certainly erodes political support," said John Rother, policy director for AARP, the powerful senior lobby.

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