Posted on 02/21/2006 7:02:35 AM PST by AZRepublican
A $400 million campaign by the Bush administration to enroll low-income seniors in prescription drug coverage that would cost them just a few dollars per prescription has signed up 1.4 million people, a fraction of the 8 million eligible for the new coverage.
At this rate, by some calculations, the government is on track to spend about $250 for each person it enrolls, and even then it would have only 2 million poor senior citizens taking advantage of what is perhaps the most generous government benefit available today.
"It's a very, very good benefit," said Deane Beebe, whose organization, the Medicare Rights Center, has been critical of many aspects of the new Medicare drug program, called Part D. "It's probably the best thing about Medicare Part D, except that most people don't know about it or don't know how to apply for it or are not comfortable or capable of applying."
When Congress enacted the first-ever drug plan for Medicare's 42 million beneficiaries, it created a tiered system in which the poorest and sickest seniors pay the least. About 6 million elderly and disabled people were switched from state Medicaid programs to virtually free Medicare coverage. Retirees at the high end of the income scale have the option of purchasing a plan with standard out-of-pocket costs such as monthly premiums, deductibles and co-payments.
The group sandwiched in between -- those earning too much for Medicaid but less than $19,000 -- qualify for coverage with no premiums, no deductibles and co-payments of less than $5. Congress gave the Social Security Administration $500 million primarily to identify and enroll them.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
I believe this is the biggest mistake Pres. Bush has made.
The second biggest was letting the swimmer write the education bill.
I don't believe that for a second. With the advertising blitz on TV, Radio, and Print media, plus several retailers and pharmesuitical companies also joining in the quest to educate these folks - I will chalk it up to just a few reasons:
1. Don't care/ are not interested - many of these are folks who just hate change. They woldn't sign up if it meant totally free medications because it would require change, and maybe some paperwork.
2. Folks who are too hard-headed. They have been told about it, and just don't get off their lazy butts to do something about it.
3. There are even a few who intentionally don't sign up because they feel the Government has no obligation to pay for their medications - as they can afford them anyway.
I truly believe that the actual number that can HONESTLY say they don't know about it is less than 3% of those eligible. The number that can honestly claim to "know how to apply" might number up to 5% (that would be those who don't get to Wal-Mart or any other public place, and don't pay any attention whatsoever to any media sources at all).
I don't believe that for a second. With the advertising blitz on TV, Radio, and Print media, plus several retailers and pharmesuitical companies also joining in the quest to educate these folks - I will chalk it up to just a few reasons:
1. Don't care/ are not interested - many of these are folks who just hate change. They woldn't sign up if it meant totally free medications because it would require change, and maybe some paperwork.
2. Folks who are too hard-headed. They have been told about it, and just don't get off their lazy butts to do something about it.
3. There are even a few who intentionally don't sign up because they feel the Government has no obligation to pay for their medications - as they can afford them anyway.
I truly believe that the actual number that can HONESTLY say they don't know about it is less than 3% of those eligible. The number that can honestly claim to "know how to apply" might number up to 5% (that would be those who don't get to Wal-Mart or any other public place, and don't pay any attention whatsoever to any media sources at all).
If you pay for all your healthcare out of pocket, or receive it as a benefit from where you work, then I'd say you have a point in wanting transparent and efficient service.
If however, you're getting this service from the government, I would think the least you could do is go along with the program.
i agree!!!!!!!!!
I'll try and remember that. I'm far too young for such a program. I'm betting that by time I'm there we'll have a national health-care system in place.
Bump for later.
I take 10mg of Toprol daily, I have Medicare Part A and Part B plus I am covered by my wife's health plan.
The annual information letter from the plan advised us that I should not sign up as it would save me no money over the 50% discount already in the plan.
There may be many like us.
I checked the AARP site and checked 4 medications and the estimated cost was in excess of $3,068 per year.
That's got to be near the retail cost!
Thank God I can get them for $336 because of VA eligability.
There are many with Medicare supplement plans for whom Part D is not the right choice. If that's your situation, good for you.
More aptly, you should state you can lead a horse to the ocean. That's how deep the water supply would need to be.
I hope this plan falls flat on it's insidious face.
"I take 10mg of Toprol daily, I have Medicare Part A and Part B plus I am covered by my wife's health plan.
The annual information letter from the plan advised us that I should not sign up as it would save me no money over the 50% discount already in the plan. "
I take a motherload of meds, 2 out of 11 are generic. I am as are you on parts A & B plus covered by my health plan as number 2. Got the same letter.
Try to look at it this way, if you live another 7 years or so, most of your drugs will be generic!
The person who wrote this article needs to actually take a look at Medicare Part D before writing some of this tripe.
Another complicating factor is the lack of information from current providers and sources of medications. I made some inquiries for an elderly family member who currently receives medications through pharmaceutical companies' charitable programs. These companies were unsure how their programs would be affected. It's hard to run the numbers when you can't get any to work with.
It seems a lot of people here are "blaming the victims" for this nightmare government program.
No, it was not the seniors, for the most part, who were confused NOR why Schwarzenegger had to devote those millions, BUT THE INTERMEDIARY COMPUTER PROGRAM THAT WAS FAILING...it was not including people in the Plan even after enrolled and was spitting out preposterous denials at the cash register to Medicare enrolless advising them they owed "$3,500." or some such nonsense for a $13.00 generic refill and similar monstrosities.
What was occuring was that MEDICAID people were not receiving their MEDICAID priced refills and most of them really needed what they were taking uninterruptedly, and thus, the state had to intervene and "emergency fund" the Medicaid pharmacy costs until the Federal computer system was organized and corrected.
THE PLAN ITSELF CREATED THE PROBLEMS at the cash register for many enrollees, leaving them to go home wondering, like a lot of seniors are prone to do, "WHAT DID I DO WRONG" when, in fact, the PLAN AND THE COMPUTER SYSTEM was screwy.
Not nationwide, just in a few states that have the highest Medicaid enrolleess...California, New York, to name the two biggest problems.
And, the Plan itself has been confusing even IF the computer sytsem was workig well in that last two years, there was one "plan" for drug coverage under Medicare for some people, and that was replaced by this "new plan" January 1, which then dispensed or failed to dispense reasonably priced refills by thousands of dollars without explanation, or just refused to acknowledge people who were already enrolled correctly.
Thus, people already qualified for one plan in the last two years but now no longer do by the same income variables, combined with the huge computer problem in January, EVERYONE was confused and not because they weren't capable or able. EVEN PHARMACIES were being told to collect huge amounts of thousands of dollars for drugs that normally (even without the Plan) cost a mere few dollars.
But, it was the Medicaid numbers that required the emergency funding by some states, inorder to pay for two, three months refills for their enrollees while the federal plan (computer system) was/is being straightened out.
No, this program is too complicated to be understood. It is as bad or worse than tax code.
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