Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act (2003)

The Medicare Prescription, Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003, also known as P.L. 108-173, included a number of important changes to Medicare, especially the creation of a voluntary prescription drug benefit under the Medicare program. It was signed into law by President George W. Bush in November 2003 and received some support from both political parties although it was a Republican initiative as an expansion of some existing Medicare benefits. In essence, the legislation as passed was a political compromise between congressional Democrats and Republicans, with both groups anxious to return to their home states and be able to claim some success in improving Medicare when they next ran for office. In addition to the main drug-related portions, the law provided that Medicare cover ...