Both Senators Bob Bennett and Orrin Hatch have heard from senior citizens with questions on the new Medicare Part D prescription drug plan.
The questions are coming up now as those who are eligible must sign up by Dec. 8 to receive coverage by Jan. 1.
Both men say that seniors who are satisfied with their current prescription drug plan needn't do anything, and that's some 80 percent of those eligible, Hatch said.
"As a result of the Medicare prescription drug benefit, more than 38 million seniors and people with disabilities have drug coverage."
Of that national number, Bennett notes, nearly 200,000 are Utahns. "Medicare Part D has been a major step in improving our health care system and will help Medicare beneficiaries better manage drug costs," he said.
Those with additional questions may contact the Health Insurance Information Program at 801-541-7735, or call Bennett's Salt Lake City office at 524-5933.
Letters to the two senators indicate Utahns are divided on the subject of the Iraq war.
However, both men believe a troop withdrawal at this time is premature.
"I firmly believe that withdrawing our troops prematurely would embolden the insurgency, lead to greater violence in the region and create more problems, which could ultimately result in the loss of more American lives," Bennett said, while adding the United States may be able to reduce the number of troops in Iraq, depending on the circumstances on the ground, and not a specific date.
Hatch said he is committed to doing what it takes to be successful so that American troops may be brought home, confident they have made America safer.
He too rejects the idea of removing troops by "an arbitrary timeline," saying that "the troops should come home when our mission is accomplished and the Iraqis can stand on their own feet."
mwilliams@davisclipper.com
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