Five Democrats on the House Ways and Means health subcommittee are calling for oversight hearings to investigate how the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services are implementing the new prescription drug program.

Ranking member Pete Stark (D-CA) and Reps. John Lewis (D-GA), Lloyd Doggett  (D-TX), Mike Thompson (D-CA) and Rahm Emanuel (D-IL) requested that the hearing focus on CMS implementation of the Medicare drug benefit.

The new law is scheduled to take effect in January. However, there have been rumblings in Washington that the program’s implementation may need to be at least partially delayed.