Medicare Misery: What it offers to seniors isn’t pretty.

[Thom Little]

It was clear back in 2003, when the Bush administration rammed this bill through the Republican Congress, that the purpose was not to devise an affordable prescription drug program for seniors. Rather the administration wanted to help two friendly industries, the pharmaceutical companies and the HMO’s; and to get bragging rights for the 2004 election that Bush had helped seniors. Few voters would grasp just how bad the law was, since its effective date was deliberately put off until 2006.

Now, as the year of reckoning arrives, the true cynicism of Bush’s program is becoming evident to each senior citizen (or adult child of senior citizen) who attempts to fathom what Bush and the industry lobbyists wrought.

For starters, coverage is woefully inadequate. You pay a $250 deductible and then a 25 percent co-pay on the first $2,250 of drug benefits each year, plus roughly another $450 a year in premiums. So if your prescriptions cost $2,250 a year, or about $190 a month, for prescriptions, you pay $1,200 a year all told and the plan pays just $1050.

That’s pretty shabby. But then, the truly bizarre feature of the plan kicks in. Coverage simply disappears, until you have spent nearly $3,100 out of pocket. This is the infamous "hole in the donut." Coverage kicks in again only after a total of $5,100 in prescription costs.


http://www.prospect.org/web/page.ww?section=root&name=ViewWeb&articleId=10792

[wakeme2008]

1. And I could not believe the Senator Dole ad I saw on TV last night

Dole was saying how great it was (no surprise) but then as the ad end, they put up the sponsor and it was Easter Seals Mmmm

[Frustratedlady]

5. Well, they can't risk paying a celebrity

to shill their program, or the GAO will catch them again. By having it go through Easter Seals, they can still buy their cheerleader, but it won't show up as coming from the taxpayers.

Another charity to watch.

[fasttense]

2. Damn that is terrible prescription coverage.

How can these rich wealthy repukes do this to our elderly? Do they have no heart?

[aquart]

4. Well, when the young Republicans find out the old folks

Won't be leaving them any inheritance because it all went on prescriptions...possibly they'll take the hint.

The bill is an obscenity passed by a corrupt Congress which was so drunk on power they honestly believed this bill would be a PLUS for them come election day? WHAT IS WRONG WITH THEIR MINDS????

[ClintonTyree]

3. Here's my story with the "wonderful" Medicare scam.........

known as the Prescription Drug Program.
I'm 55, disabled and have only Medicare for health insurance. It's better than nothing but not by much. I looked into the prescription drug benefit last month. Me prescriptions run around $78 a months if I get them at Wal*Mart, something I loathe doing but when the money is coming out of my pocket...... In the bush prescription drug benefit program it isn't worth enrolling for me after the deductibles and co-pays...IF I get my prescriptions at Wal*Mart.
If I were to get my prescriptions at a more expensive pharmacy (and I've checked this out) my monthly prescriptions would total $135 a month. NOW, it would BE to my benefit to enroll in one of the programs because I would actually save money by paying more for my prescriptions. (actually, the government would be paying more for them). Now isn't that stupid? I would have less out of pocket expense by switching my prescriptions to the more expensive pharmacy.
Now WHO is this benefiting again? :wtf: This program is so fucked up it could only have the name "bush" connected with it. No one else could have come up with something so insipid, no one!

[salin]

6. The "its voluntary" b.s., many retiree programs

have dropped their supplemental perscription programs telling retirees that to continue coverage they have to enroll in the medicare plan.