Drugmakers to Cut Off Some Free Prescriptions(say new Medicare will cover)

[DeepModem Mom]

WP: Drugmakers to Cut Off Some Free Prescriptions
Seniors, Disabled Face Big Financial Crunch

By Ceci Connolly
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, January 27, 2006; Page A02


Several of the nation's largest drug manufacturers say they will no longer provide free or discounted medications to low-income elderly and disabled patients because they should be covered by the new Medicare drug benefit.

But for about 1 million Americans with serious illnesses such as AIDS and cancer -- patients who last year relied on the pharmaceutical industry's giveaways -- that means Medicare coverage could cost them more than $3,600 this year.

Hardest hit will be patients such as James Hayes. Suffering from AIDS, the 45-year-old North Carolina man takes an average of 10 drugs each month at a cost of $3,700. In recent years, he has relied on several drug company patient assistance programs for his lifesaving medications. Because he is on disability, receiving $1,900 a month, Hayes qualifies for the new Medicare drug benefit.

But in the past few weeks, drugmakers such as GlaxoSmithKline have sent Hayes and others letters saying that as of Jan. 1, anyone eligible for Medicare would be dropped from its program. The cheapest Medicare drug plan he can find is expected to cost him $6,000 out of pocket.

"I can't afford that. I am struggling to make ends meet right now without going into bankruptcy," he said yesterday. "I'm scared I'm going to have to go off of my drugs."...


http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/26/AR2006012602061.html

[Rose Siding]

1. They thought of every angle

How long until the public becomes aware of the the full extent of this nightmare?

[babylonsister]

2. I can see it now; older people on fixed incomes crying

at the drugstore because they can't get the meds they need. I wonder if they actually want to kill off some of these American citizens, because that could be the result.

[anitar1]

9. They do want to get rid of the elderly. I am not too far from that

myself. My older friends agree that they want uo to die and get out of the way. We do not contibute to their greed.

[Faux pas]

12. I've been thinking that killing off

the old, sick, poor and helpless has been the plan from the start of the boosh regime. But hey, that's just my humble opinion.

[Kindigger]

3. Now I know why I didn't receive my application in Dec.

Roche Labs told me they would start covering benzos, which aren't covered under Medicare D(isaster). Instead of notifying me they'd changed their mind....:grr:

[BattyDem]

4. This was the plan all along

Get rid of the sick and the elderly - the "burdens" on society - by giving them prescription drug "coverage" that ultimately screws them over! :grr: :grr: :grr:

PRO-LIFE MY ASS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[sarcasmo]

5. The Repukes hate the poor, the elderly and the sick, but unborn babies

are #1 in their hearts. ASSHATS the whole lot of them. Kick and Nom #3 for the new AMERIKA.

[area51]

6. k & r (n/t)

[CAG]

7. More goodies from this...

"These are individuals who did have something before; they had patient assistance programs," said John Coburn, senior policy analyst for the Chicago-based Health & Disability Advocates. "We are seeing the unintended consequences of this law."

No, Mr. Coburn; the only thing "unintended" was that the public might pick up on this rip-off.

"Drugmakers blamed the Bush administration for issuing a legal opinion that suggests companies could run afoul of anti-kickback laws if they provide free drugs to Medicare beneficiaries....
Administration officials...yesterday pointed the finger back at drugmakers, saying there are a variety of legal ways to assist low-income patients."

In other words, wink-wink, nod-nod, we'll watch your back if you watch ours, lets just blame each other and act with feigned innocence while you rake in the profits and line our campaign pockets full. If americans fall for this stuff, we deserve the mess we're in.

[OneBlueSky]

8. but wait . . . there's more . . .

what makes the drug companies' actions so egregious is that, for many, the drugs that were being provided without charge were the expensive ones . . . now, not only will the companies refuse to provide them, but many are also excluded from the formularies of the insurance companies participating in Part D . . .

I'm on SSI and have been receiving a very expensive medication for from the company that manufactures it for about five years now . . . I've been informed that anyone eligible for Part D will no longer be eligible for their patient assistance program -- even though not one of the 40+ plans available in my area will cover this particular drug (no doubt because of its cost) . . . I am, in a word, screwed . . . as are many, many others . . . we'll have to buy the most expensive drugs we need at full retail or go without -- and for many of us the only option will be to go without . . .

fuck 'em all . . .

[anitar1]

10. Good luck to you, Blue Sky, I am waiting to see what will be

"approved " for me. Not much, I am sure. Am sending good thoughts your way.

[DeepModem Mom]

11. What an outrage, OBS. Thanks for sharing your personal...

experience with this disastrous program.

[zanne]

13. I'm screwed, too.

I take some expensive cardiac meds. The only way I could get them was from these free programs. When I used to hear about old people having to decide between food and prescription medication, I thought they were really exaggerating. They weren't. I don't know what I'll do.

[Sgent]

14. Not to defend the plan

but there is an appeal mechanism built into every Medicare plan for drugs that aren't covered but which need to be covered for a particular patient. I obviously don't know the specifics though.