Muncie's Congressman Mike Pence once again denounced a nationwide prescription drug plan Tuesday, sayings its cost would be a hard pill to swallow.
Members of Congress are still debating the details of the plan, but both parties want to ensure that all seniors on Medicare receive aid for prescription medicine, regardless of their needs.
But this would mean more taxes for their grandchildren, including college students, Pence said. He warned that payroll taxes could increase two to three times by 2025 under this plan, and that's after adjusting for inflation.
"I truly believe this will threaten our nation's fiscal stability," Pence said to an audience of about 75, most of them senior citizens.
Besides, the Republican said, the bill opens the door for socialized health care in America, a "dark place to think."
In fact, the plan has already been touted as the largest expansion of government health benefits since the Lyndon B. Johnson's Great Society, Pence said.
According to CNN, the plan passed 221 to 208 at about 2:30 a.m. Friday. In a rare switch, Pence defected from President George W. Bush and sided with most House Democrats.
Pence, however, was guided by convictions different from the Democrats, who said the House bill didn't provide enough coverage for seniors. He said the bill fails to distinguish between those seniors who need the government's help and those who don't.
"It essentially says to the person who owns the limousine and the person who drives the limousine: 'You will get the same base entitlements,'" Pence said.
Only 24 percent of seniors live near the poverty level, where they have to choose between rent or prescription drugs, Pence said. For those seniors, he said, Congress needs to enact a drug discount card or some form of means-tested direct subsidy.
"I truly believe that we are a big enough and strong enough country that no American should have to choose between heat and prescription drugs," Pence said.
The bill could also harm the 76 percent who don't need help paying for prescription drugs, he said. Technically, the government's program is voluntary, but with a government subsidy in place, businesses may decide to end their benefits to retired workers, Pence said, leaving them nowhere else to go but Washington.
"You can be volunteered to go to the only place you can get coverage," he said.
Currently, the plan is resting within a conference committee, but with President Bush pushing Congress for a bill to sign, the question of its approval may not be if, but when.
One senior citizen asked Pence how he could stop this plan from moving on.
Pence, in reply, said they should write to their representatives and senators.
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