To establish a prescription drug benefit under Title XVIII of the Social Security Act, without using funds generated from either the Medicare or Social Security surpluses, that is voluntary; accessible to all beneficiaries; designed to assist beneficiaries with the high cost of prescription drugs, protect them from excessive out of pocket costs, and give them bargaining power in the marketplace; affordable to all beneficiaries and the program; administered using private sector entities and compe

New $311 Billion Medicare Prescription Drug Boondoggle. Senator Max Baucus (D-Mont.) offered this amendment to double the funds for a new prescription drug benefit under Medicare. "It basically doubles the amount that is available from $153 billion to $311 billion.... To offset the cost, our amendment reduces the size of the tax cut by $158 billion."

The Senate rejected the amendment on April 3, 2001 by a vote of 50-50 (Roll Call 66). We have assigned pluses to the nays.