A Prescription For Medicare

As a $400 billion Medicare bill makes its way through Congress, opponents of the bill in the Senate are scrambling to find the votes for a filibuster.

There are two major sticking points at issue. The first is a provision preventing the government from leveraging its prescription drug buying power to bargain for lower prices. The second is the roughly $125 billion that will go to large HMO's and insurance providers.

On Point examines this prescription for Medicare.

Guests:

David Hawkings, Senior Editor for Congressional Quarterly Magazine

Stuart Altman, Professor of Health care policy at the Heller school for Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University

Nina Owcharenko, Senior Policy Analyst for the Heritage Foundation

Jack Beatty, On Point News Analyst and Senior Editor at the Atlantic Monthly.