More reactions to the Medicare reform bill.

It's been touted -- by supporters and critics alike -- as the most sweeping set of changes to Medicare since its inception in 1965. It is therefore not surprising, I suppose, that the political reactions to House Bill 4 (at least at this early stage -- months if not years before the full implications of this thing will be known and understood) are confounding the pols and pundits. Two articles in today's N.Y. Times pretty well summarize the situation:

• "But although some economists on the left and right might wring their hands, younger workers don't seem to be complaining. According to polls, members of the post-boomer generation are actually more enthusiastic than their elders about this new legislation. Their feeling is partly due to a desire to see their parents and grandparents save money on drugs, which ultimately redounds to their own benefit. And a lot of these younger adults — like members of Congress who voted for the bill — probably haven't quite focused on who will pay for the program or how." (A $400 Billion Purchase, All on Credit, John Tierney)
• "[Retirees] express disappointment but little surprise because, they say, they never had high hopes. They say they feel they were sold out, by Republicans and AARP, which endorsed a Medicare bill drafted mainly by Republicans. But the Democrats, they say, did not fight hard enough for a better drug benefit." (Florida Elderly Feel Let Down by Drug Benefit, Robert Pear)