May 24, 2013
The U.S. Senate has again failed to approve a plan providing prescription drug coverage under Medicare.
The latest measure was a scaled-back plan costing $390 billion over 10 years. It would have provided coverage to the poorest of senior citizens and those with high prescription bills.
The measure was 11 votes short of the 60 needed for approval.
But the Senate easily approved a much smaller drug-related bill that would speed generic drugs to the market.
It would also allow importers to buy U.S.-made drugs in Canada, where they are cheaper and resell them here.
