WASHINGTON - November 18 - Americans for Democratic Action (ADA), the nation's oldest independent liberal political organization, condemns the Republican Medicare compromise.

"This proposal is the latest attempt by the Republicans and the Bush Administration to sell Congress and the American people a placebo filled with handouts for its supporters while providing no cure for an ailing America," stated ADA National Director Amy Isaacs. "Just in time for Thanksgiving, Congress is trying to deliver a turkey."

The long-term result of the proposed legislation will be higher costs for Medicare patients pushed out of traditional Medicare and into the ravenous private healthcare system. The complicated proposal that came out of the conference seems likely to cause confusion and instability in coverage.

ADA urges the Congress to reject this proposal and seek broad input into a plan for Medicare revision that is more stable and more easily implemented so that all participants will be helped. The beauty of Medicare, as it is currently constituted, is that everyone is guaranteed health coverage regardless of income level or health status. Forcing seniors into a private, experimental system would jettison the best of the current program.

Worse yet, desperate seniors are being told they will get significant relief from soaring prescription drug costs. Instead, they could still be forced to pay thousands of dollars for desperately-needed medication- a cruel hoax being played on those who need help the most.

Americans for Democratic Action supports single payer, comprehensive, high quality health care such as the United States National Health Insurance (USNHI) Act. The entire health care system in the United States is in a state of crisis. We urgently need to restructure radically what is now an anachronistic, fragmented, frequently dehumanizing and ineffective approach to the provision of health care.