Congress Hears Complaints About Medicare Drug Program

[Rose Siding]

Today on Capitol Hill, members of the Senate Finance Committee quizzed Medicare/Medicaid Director Mark McClellan about the program. Most of the harsh questions came from Democrats, although Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, questioned the way the program was working and pushed for legislation that would allow the government to negotiate for better drug prices. The initial legislation included no such provision, an omission that at the time was seen as a boon to drug companies.
....
McClellan took responsibility for the glitches the Medicare plan has encountered in its rollout. He said, though, that the program is getting better as it hires more 1-800-Medicare phone operators who encourage more seniors to enroll at the beginning of the month.

He blamed late enrollments for widespread gaps in coverage that forced many state governments to provide drugs to seniors as they switched to the plan. Some seniors wait until the end of a month to enroll and then expect service on the first of the month, he said. So-called double-eligible seniors — those who meet the requirements for the drug benefit both on age and financial levels — have been hit the hardest.

Some of the strongest language came from Sen. Kent Conrad, D-S.D., who said that senators who described problems with the new plan as "growing pains" were "detached from reality."
....
Finance Committee Chairman Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, said that senators complaining about the implementation of the program were now "crying over spilled milk."

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/story?id=1595866&page=1&CMP=OTC-RSSFeeds0312

[daveskilt]

1. I run a nursing home - Part D sucks balls for seniors

and I don't mean that in a good way