Medicare reform was the focus of a forum at the Mower County Senior Center Tuesday.

Jim Gelbmann, state director for Sen. Mark Dayton, discussed health care bills that will soon be on the U.S. Senate floor and problems surrounding getting those bills passed.

Gelbmann outlined a bill Dayton is co-authoring that would provide prescription drug benefits under Medicare. It would include a $25 a month premium and limited copayments for each prescription. Gelbmann said the copayments would be around $7 to $10 a piece.

He said the major roadblock to passing any Medicare reform bill is that so many senators have their own version of reform, and "everyone's stuck to their guns." Overturning a filibuster requires 60 votes, which he said they would not get.

The question he asked to the senior citizens was, "Is half a loaf better than none?" In other words, should Sen. Dayton settle for a bill that does not address all his concerns in order to get benefits now, or should he hold out for something better?

Reactions were mixed in a group that Gelbmann said was "maybe not reflective" of the general population of senior citizens. The reason for that is many members of the audience have a good benefits package for prescription drugs due to previous retirement programs from Hormel Foods Corporation and the Mayo Clinic.

Nonetheless, there was concern about the high cost of prescription drugs.

Gelbmann mentioned the low cost of prescription drugs in Canada. Dayton has a program called the "Rx Express" in which he has taken bus-loads of senior citizens to Canada to buy medication and show them the drastic difference in prices.

A number of audience members said they would like a similar type of plan and asked why it is not in place.

Gelbmann said lobbyists were one of the main problems in passing legislation of this type.

There was some disagreement from the crowd, however.

"Canada is bankrupt because of socialized medicine," Dean White of Austin said. "I know you're saying what Mark (Dayton) wants you to say, but it's a bunch of hogwash."

Matt Merritt can be reached at 434-2214 or by e-mail at :mailto:matt.merritt@austindailyherald.com