71.   The president and most Democrats oppose this idea and favor setting aside money from the budget surplus to strengthen Medicare and provide new funds to cover prescription drugs.

72.   The provision covers drugs made by both companies.

73.   The question now is not whether Medicare should cover prescription drugs, but how.

74.   The panel did not agree on much, but did provide authoritative bipartisan backing for the view that Medicare is antiquated because it does not cover prescription drugs.

75.   The state Medicaid program must cover the drug unless the federal government decides the drug is being abused, he said.

76.   The standard Medicaid program covers a wide range of health-care services, and all states have chosen to cover prescription drugs, as well.

77.   The states have broad discretion to decide on the details of their individual programs, within federal guidelines, and all have chosen to cover prescription drugs.

78.   Then the Medicare HMO announced it would stop covering drugs because of rising health care costs.

79.   There is also a proposed increase in the minimum wage and a bill extending the Medicare system for retired people to cover prescription drugs.

80.   They cannot arbitrarily refuse to cover drugs for a particular illness.