WASHINGTON, September 6, 2004- The former Medicare
administrator should repay his salary because of his efforts to keep
higher estimates of the cost of a prescription drug plan from Congress
last year, congressional investigators said Tuesday. The recommendation
from the Government Accountability Office reignited the controversy over
passage of the Medicare overhaul and questions about whether the Bush
administration intentionally concealed its own estimates of the cost —
$100 billion more than the $400 billion it acknowledged — to win support
from conservative Republicans.
The release of the report follows last
week's announcement that Medicare premiums for nonhospital care will
rise a record $11.60 a month next year, which administration officials
said was partly attributable to provisions of the new law.
The Associated Press reported last
year that Thomas Scully, the Medicare chief until December, threatened
to fire chief Medicare actuary Richard Foster to prevent him from giving
the information to lawmakers.
Federal law prohibits a federal agency
from paying the salary of an official who prevents another federal
employee from communicating with Congress, GAO said.
Scully
made $145,600 a year, a government spokesman said. The report appeared
to call for repayment of roughly half.