Poll: Most Find Medicare Program Puzzling

[deadparrot]

WASHINGTON - Most people, particularly senior citizens, say they are having a hard time understanding the new Medicare prescription drug program, an AP-Ipsos poll found.

The drug benefit requires people to choose from among dozens of competing private insurance plans. Along with senior citizens, those most likely to acknowledge difficulties live in rural areas or are college graduates.

"I pretty much completed a master's degree in psychology and I can't understand it," said Raymond Lloyd, a Republican-leaning retiree from Silt, Colo. "For the elderly who don't have their full faculties and the poor people who are not well educated, God help 'em."

More than half, 52 percent, of respondents say they think the program that began enrolling people on Jan. 1 is tough to understand.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060122/ap_on_he_me/prescription_drugs_ap_poll

[ClassWarrior]

1. Dig it! The Republicons' Poison Pill...

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-chait22jan22,0,6055747.column?coll=la-util-opinion-sunday

NGU.

[NanceGreggs]

2. And who doesn't think this program ...

... wasn't deliberately made to be so confusing as to lessen the amount of payouts?

Great way to save bucks -- make sure no one can understand the forms, the program, how it works, etc. -- and if people DIE as a result of not getting prescription medication they can't afford without coverage, f*ck 'em. Sh*t happens, right?

[sendero]

7. Or....

.. made confusing to make it hard to see who benefits. Hint: it isn't the seniors.

[NanceGreggs]

9. O.M.G.

I hope you're not implying that Big Pharma will be the Big Winner here? You know how this Administration HATES to see those profits soar ...

[bluerum]

3. Well maybe they should go back to school for some re-education.

I hear there are new government sponsored learning centers where you can learn all about how our new government works and why drugs are in such short supply.

They will also offer tips and pointers on how to get the most out of your retirement dollars. You know, when to buy medicine instead of food, how to survive on the street in the winter, and the best ways to travel when you can't afford to or your health prevents you from driving.

[Occulus]

15. "I pretty much completed a master's degree in psychology and

I can't understand it," said Raymond Lloyd, a Republican-leaning retiree from Silt, Colo. "For the elderly who don't have their full faculties and the poor people who are not well educated,* God help 'em."

*This could be taken in two disctinctly different ways: poor people, as in indigent, and poor people, as in pitiable (in a pitiable position; ie, deserving of sympathy and understanding- they cannot influence where they are educated as children). Neither is a good reason to deliberately screw them.

I say "deliberately" because of the above quote. Remember- it's the Republican dream to eliminate those pesky public assistance programs that people who can't fend for themselves depend upon :sarcasm:

(Good GOD, that left a fucking filthy taste in my mouth... yuck)

[0rganism]

4. "...God help 'em."

That's pretty much the republican answer to anything with respect to the sick, disabled, elderly, poor, and unemployed. 10 points for consistency.

[Warpy]

5. My dad had a stack of paperwork an inch and a half thick

trying to make sense of that dog of a "benefit." He is furious. His search is on hold because he's ill, but I'm saving every contradictory piece of paper for him for when he's feeling a bit better.

I want him to get angry enough that he'll never vote for one of those GOP bastards ever again.

[salin]

6. My mother was "kicked off" her drug benefit plan

they ended it b/c of the medicare plan D program. She and I are currently trying to wade through and make sense of it. This is a program that truley does help those who were not poor enough to qualify for medicaid, but did not have access to retiree supplemental health care/drug plans. Sadly, some of those in that catagory received assistance (free meds) from a charity effort of big pharma - that has ended - so some are worse off - making those that really benefit an even smaller group. However for the very poor, and those who had access to plans - this is an unmitigated disaster.

We have documented what was spent in the previous year (including premiums, and deductable) and will be keeping a close tally of costs within "Plan D". I encourage others to do so as well. Of course when/if it is demonstrated that the costs are higher the easy GOP response is "stupid person, you just chose the wrong plan - had you selected better you would have done better - aka "its your own fault." Ugh!

[Frustratedlady]

8. Does Your Drugstore Offer Help?

I get my drugs at Walgreen's Drug and they printed out the plans available for me with my medicine/dosage information. That helped a great deal. For the 15-20 I checked out, the final prices were pretty close.

I took the price I'm currently paying, less the copay and prorated the deductible, if there was one, then I added the monthly fee.

You might ask your pharmacist.

[salin]

10. I don't know that there is a Walgreens in her community,

but this is great advice. I will suggest she call around to find if any local pharmacies have this information. Given that this is a college town - and many seeking information are retired college professors - I would guess that some company has done this. Thank you for this advice.

[roseBudd]

11. Clicked through and rated it a 5 on yahoo n/t

[fknobbit]

12. I fell back on the rule of thumb that

If monkey ass is for it......It ain't gonna be good for me. So when I ask my druggist about my case he implied that the only drug that I could buy, at bush bargain rates would be rat poison and we're talking central Texas here.

[alcuno]

13. My mom says it's chaos in Florida.

I'm in Illinois, one of the states that stepped up, but she says it's chaos in Florida. Apparently, there have been lots and lots of medicare horror stories on the news. What a mess.

[oneold1-4u]

14. No choices

I use ONE Rx and yes if I choose a plan I can pay a bit less for it, BUT I can CHOOSE not to get the Rx, but once on a plan I have to pay forever and many are over $50 a month and there is still a co-pay and a gap!
Keep in mind that * wanted to privatize Social Security totally, and this is his "one small step" in that direction. "Every insurance co." is one step above racketeering and they should have been put out of business many years ago. I studied and received a license to sell, and dropped it because it was such a rotten business! I'd rather rob a bank than take money from people who are demanded by some law to buy insurance!