SUN CITY CENTER, Fla., May 9 (UPI) -- U.S. President George Bush, making a reminder of a signup deadline for a Medicare prescription drug plan, heard from some people seeking extensions.
Bush visited Florida to talk about the prescription drug benefit plan his administration has supported. The deadline to sign up for the program, which started taking enrollees in November, is Monday. Some 20 million people have signed up but there are an estimated 7 million people who are eligible who haven't signed up.
Some Democrats and some participants in Bush's question-and-answer session Tuesday would like to see the deadline pushed back.
"Deadlines are important," Bush countered. "Deadlines help people understand there's finality and people need to get after it, you know?"
Bush said the new program will save seniors more money on prescription drugs than its planners estimated and said if none of plans fit, people should opt out.
"It's really important for people to take a look and see whether or not there's a program that meets your needs," he said. "A lot of people are signing up.... In other words, since January, people have said, 'I think I'm going to take a look and get involved in this new program.'"
