Medicare drug bill raises consumer Ire. (D.C. Dispatch).(Brief Article)

The Medicare prescription drug legislation approved recently by the House of Representatives is being hotly debated by interest groups.

While business groups are calling H.R. 4954 a significant first step towards comprehensive reform, consumer groups are blasting the legislation as deceptive and unworkable.

Specifically, H.R. 4954, called the Medicare Modernization and Prescription Drug Act, was approved recently by a narrow 221-208 vote that went largely along party lines.

The bill establishes a voluntary prescription drug benefit program. Under