WASHINGTON — Senate Republicans appear determined to block legislation letting the government negotiate directly with drug companies for lower drug prices under Medicare, the latest obstacle for a proposal Democrats once trumpeted as a surefire money-saver. Sen. Mitch McConnell, the GOP leader, said Monday that many members of his rank and file believe the new Medicare prescription drug program is ‘working beautifully, with remarkable coverage,’ and doesn’t need fixing. He stopped short of flatly saying Republicans would try to block the bill when Democrats attempt to bring it up for passage later in the week - but just barely. Noting that Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt will meet with GOP senators on Tuesday, he said, ‘There is substantial opposition to proceeding to that measure.’ President Bush opposes the bill, as he did a stronger House-passed measure that requires the government to negotiate for better prices. Supporters would need 60 votes to overcome a Republican filibuster, and so far, appear to be short. Even if the Senate bill passes, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office recently predicted it would have only a ‘negligible effect’ on the government’s cost of buying drugs under Medicare. As […]