Americans older than 65 are covered by the Medicare program.

The new drug benefit would be provided through the Medicare program.

It will also give insurance companies and private health plans a huge new role in the Medicare program.

This is a Medicare program to help people with limited resources pay drug costs.

"Nothing in the Medicare program allows them to keep that money."

That is precisely what has happened with the 35-year-old Medicare program itself.

A drug benefit would be an expensive change in the 37-year-old Medicare program.

It would set up direct competition between the traditional Medicare program and private health plans in 2010.

"The bill does nothing to address the real problem, that the Medicare program needs to be improved."

They now face higher costs for hospital care and doctor's visits in the traditional Medicare program.