To the Point

Reforming Medicare

With next year-s election on their minds, both Republicans and Democrats want to deliver on their promise of Medicare coverage for prescription drugs for the elderly. Republicans say now-s the chance to -transform- Medicare from a government monopoly into a marketplace of competing insurance companies, but Democrats call that -privatizing- America-s most popular social program. In Connecticut today, President Bush pushed for the Republican version. Should the government have total control? Should HMO-s get a piece of the action? We weigh the promise of Medicare reform and the risk to benefits that millions rely on with a reporter who-s following the debate in Congress, and public health and policy experts from the American Enterprise Institute, the Urban Institute, and AARP, a nonprofit organization that addresses the interests of people over 50. Making News: American Forces Clash with Baath Loyalists Opposition forces today shot down a US Apache helicopter gunship in western Iraq as military action escalates in the aftermath of the war. The attack came just hours after the US bombed what it called a "terrorist training camp" 100 miles north of Baghdad. Dave Moniz, who covers the military for USA Today, says the latest incident demonstrates the ongoing disagreement between the Pentagon and Army over what it will take to stabilize Iraq. Reporter's Notebook: US Seniors Cross Mexican Border for Prescription Drugs With drug prices on the increase and no Medicare coverage, hundreds of thousands of US citizens are crossing the borders to Canada and Mexico. The quality of the products they get is in question-but there-s no doubt they can save money. One such place is the border town of Nuevo Progresso. The Houston Chronicle-s Alan Bernstein reports on who goes there, what medications they get, and how well they know the Mexican pharmacists. (This segment is an extended version of one originally broadcast yesterday on Which Way, L.A.?.)