What UPI says
Flaws cited in Bush medicare ads
WASHINGTON, March 11 (UPI) -- The U.S. General Accounting Office says Bush administration ads and brochures publicizing a new Medicare law are misleading.
The GAO, an investigative arm of Congress, says that while the material is not illegal, it misrepresented the prescription drug benefits that would be offered to millions of elderly and disabled people.
The fliers and advertisements are flawed by "omissions and other weaknesses," according to a legal opinion by Anthony H. Gamboa, GAO general counsel, the New York Times said.
Gamboa said the administration, for example, did not point out that beneficiaries might be charged up to $30 for drug discount cards that become available in June.
Also, he said, the administration incorrectly suggested that the law set a premium of $35 a month for drug coverage, beginning in 2006, an amount, he said, that is only an estimate.
The administration plans to spend more than $22 million publicizing drug benefits, new coverage for preventive health services and new insurance options
