CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: At 9:15 Eastern this morning, senators will cast votes to reform Medicare. It's not everyday this happens. It's been 38 years since the Medicare program was created, and these are the biggest changes ever. First, the politics of it all with congressional correspondent Jonathan Karl.</s>JONATHAN KARL, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Republicans steamrolled every Democratic effort to block the prescription drug bill, ensuring that President Bush will be able to sign into law a new prescription drug benefit for Medicare recipients -- the first ever. But Democrats did not go down without a fight. They like the idea of a prescription drug benefit, but they object very strongly to measures in this bill that would put Medicare itself, the health coverage of Medicare, in competition with private insurance companies. The Democrats made their case on the Senate floor.</s>SEN. EDWARD KENNEDY (D), MASSACHUSETTS: It is the beginning of the unwinding of Medicare, the replacing of Medicare with the private sector and privatizing the Medicare system. Make no mistake about it.</s>SEN. ORRIN HATCH (D), UTAH: I guess he wants us to spend another 15 years trying to reform Medicare or trying to improve Medicare or trying to find a prescription drug benefit program. My gosh! We're putting up $400 billion over 10 years.</s>KARL: But some of the loudest complaints came from conservative Republicans, who don't like the idea of adding another burden to a Medicare system that is already going broke. Some conservatives made the case on the floor that this is another costly new entitlement that would be paid for by their children and their grandchildren.</s>SEN. JUDD GREGG (R), NEW HAMPSHIRE: It is a massive tax increase being placed on working young Americans and Americans who haven't yet been born, in order to support a drug benefit for retired Americans.</s>KARL: Democrats vowed to continue the fight into next year's presidential election. Republicans say they're just fine with that. They believe that when the Senate finally passes the prescription drug bill on Tuesday morning that they will have handed President Bush a major political victory that he can campaign on next year. Jonathan Karl, CNN, Capitol Hill.
Final Vote on Medicare Reform Today