MEDICARE - SCULLY DIDN'T ACT ALONE: Scully may not have been acting alone when he threatened a government employee into keeping his silence. The WP reports, "Richard S. Foster, the government's chief analyst of Medicare costs who was threatened with firing last year if he disclosed too much information to Congress, said last night that he believes the White House participated in the decision to withhold analyses that Medicare legislation President Bush sought would be far more expensive than lawmakers knew." The Administration previously claimed Scully "had acted unilaterally and that he was chastised by his superiors when they learned of the blocked information and the threat." However, in an interview last night, Foster said "he understood Scully to be acting at times on White House instructions, probably coming from Bush's senior health policy adviser," Doug Badger. "I just remember Tom being upset, saying he was caught in the middle. It was like he was getting dumped on," Foster said.

MEDICARE … BIG SPENDING TO RAM THROUGH MEDICARE BILL: The Hill reports "as Congress scrambled last year to pass a Medicare prescription-drug bill, consumer giant AARP and the pharmaceutical industry spent heavily to influence the controversial measure." According to government lobbying records "AARP spent $20.9 million last year on lobbying activities, while the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) spent about $16 million."

MEDICARE … ETHICS PROBE IS OFFICIAL: Roll Call reports, the House Ethics Committee has established a special investigative subcommittee to probe whether Rep. Nick Smith (R-MI) was offered a bribe for his vote when conservatives were trying to ram the Medicare prescription drug bill through Congress last November. The Committee will "have jurisdiction to conduct a full and complete inquiry into alleged communications received" by Smith which offered financial support for his son's congressional campaign in return for a yes vote from Smith.