Medicare Law

Well, I guess complex legislation is one way to keep the unemployment rate low.
“To keep track of the new Medicare rules and to decipher their meaning is a full-time job for hundreds of lawyers and lobbyists”, from the NYT. (login: thesaddle, passwd: thesaddle)
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Medicare Law Prompts a Rush for Lobbyists

By ROBERT PEAR
Published: August 23, 2005

WASHINGTON, Aug. 19 – The new Medicare law has touched off explosive growth in lobbying by the health care industry, whose spending on advocacy here far exceeds that of consumer groups and other industries like defense and banking.

Almost every week the federal government issues new rules or guidelines to carry out the 2003 law, which provides a drug benefit starting in January. To keep track of the new rules and to decipher their meaning is a full-time job for hundreds of lawyers and lobbyists, who regularly seek changes advantageous to their clients.

With hundreds of billions of dollars at stake, health care providers, insurers, drug makers and pharmacies are continually trying to influence rules for the drug benefit and other initiatives authorized by the law…..

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