Mr. Bush has derided the plan as forcing older people into a government-run health maintenance organization and has proposed a more limited program.
Gov. Deval Patrick initially opposed barring the immigrants' from the program and worked with legislators to create an alternative — and more limited — program that cost about $40 million.
Last month, the federation suggested that a more limited program would impose an industrywide deductible of $50 billion after taxes for the first year, increasing by $10 billion a year after that.
For example, he has always supported some form of health insurance for children, but wanted a more limited program than the one that ultimately passed, a fact long forgotten by even many health care advocates.
Mr. Bush has a much more limited program but includes a voucher proposal that would mandate vouchers even where states and communities don't want them; thus, it would would be harder for him to unite all constituencies behind a strong reform effort.
A more limited program for cities is being tested in Berlin, Germany.
BellSouth will also offer a $10 monthly discount for customers who subscribe to at least one other service, replacing a more limited discount program the companies operated.
ACCURACY -- Mrs. Clinton and Mr. Lazio both support expanding Medicare to cover some prescription drug costs for the elderly, but Mr. Lazio supports a more limited federal program.
"From a pure public health standpoint, I and many members of the committee would still feel more comfortable with a more limited vaccination program unless the assessment of risk was greater than it appears to be," Dr. Modlin said.
But it did say that conditions in the United States, such as a younger immigrant base and more limited public benefit programs than European countries, made it more likely to experience a net fiscal gain from immigration.
