Great editorial by the Heinz Family Philantropies about Medicare part D. Read all of it.
http://www.chicagodefender.com/page/commentary.cfm?ArticleID=3682
KERRY & LEWIS: An unhappy new year for seniors on Medicare
by Teresa Heinz Kerry and Jeffrey Lewis
January 19, 2006
The New Year should bring hope and joy to everyone, but unfortunately, 2006 is proving to be unhappy for many African American seniors who hoped to receive the prescription-drug benefits of the new Medicare Part D law on Jan. 1.
Part D, supported by President George W. Bush and forced through Congress by the former House Majority Leader Tom Delay (R-Texas) in 2003, required that all interested seniors sign up in advance and choose from a multitude of prescription drug plans. For those without other prescription drug coverage, this might have seemed like a great option. For those with a low-income, the new benefit simply replaces the prescription drug coverage that they had previously under Medicaid, so there is no net change in care.
...
Outsourcing bureaucracy to the private sector doesn't magically make prescription drug benefits cheaper or the system more efficient. In fact, funneling benefits through dozens of private companies makes Medicare Part D needlessly confusing. And, since private companies are profit-driven, not service-driven, they have no real incentive to provide seniors with the coverage they deserve.
The President Bush should mark this New Year by calling on the bureaucratic grinches at HHS to fix the problems swiftly so Medicare Part D recipients can receive the prescription drug medications they need.
Teresa Heinz Kerry is chairman of the Heinz Family Philanthropies and the wife of U.S. Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.). Jeffrey R. Lewis is president of the Heinz Family Philanthropies.
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