Do any old people LIKE Bush's prescription drug plan?

[yurbud]

If you are using or signing up for it, or have talked to someone is or will, vote.

[Spinzonner]

1. Elderly Drug company executives and old people with

sizeable investments in Pharma companies who can easily buy their own drugs.

[TaleWgnDg]

2. You assume that seniors comprehend these programs? Because

in order to assert a "like" for these prescription drug programs, it's inferred that full comprehension of the programs in your home state is possible! It's not, period. And, I believe that it is purposefully and willfully made incomprehensible because the pharmaceutical corporations who first and foremost incur great money benefits from this program want to have confusion thus mistakes in their favor made by seniors. Plan and simple. What could be more simple than that? Hells bells. If the damn pharmaceutical companies want to speak in plain English and write in plain English the plans would be in plain English, period. Didn't the pharmaceutical companies lobby hard and long for these programs?

Keep 'em confused, keep 'em off track, then zero in on their pocketbooks as well as all the taxpayers pocketbooks. Didn't you see this *motto* on pharmaceutical stationery and business cards?

BTW, are you also aware that our taxpayers monies -- through Medicare -- are going to the pharmaceutical companies as well as other companies and entities to hire ppl and *train* them for 8 hours to become "educators" for seniors informing seniors "explaining" prescription drug program that would be most beneficial to seniors? I kid you not, 8 hours "training" to "educate" our seniors about Medicare's prescription drug programs and which of these programs would be best for each senior. Are there any conflicts of interest here? Hook, line, and sinker = Republicans in corporate America's pocket = to the whoa of taxpayers and to those those should be served a benefit.

[Kindigger]

4. People are paid?

Just kidding. I spent three, 8 hour days researching the different programs, crunching numbers for my elderly neighbors who had a distrust of the program, and gubmint (don't ask me why):think:

PDP made easy: United Health Care/AARP. Their formulary looks seriously complicated beyond all comprehension in the Medicare Handbook. After two days I happened to find they were the only site with a working calculator system. They also seem to have the widest range of the most common "elderly" drugs listed.

One advantage that none of the others I researched had: switch to generics at $2,250, and you pay a $1-$3 copay for everything after that. Before $2,250, name brand drugs are around $22.00 co-insurance each. With the other companies, you pay 100% between $2,250 and $3,600.

One of my neighbors was very happy to find he can keep $756 of his $3,000 per year prescription costs in his pocket up to $2,250. There was no way I was going to talk him into switching to generics to save even more. I'm sure he's not the only one "set in his ways", and thinking his doctor knows best.

There is no way to convince them that a salesman walking in the door of a doctor's office, has anything to do with what they are prescribed.

Most of them still haven't signed up (even though I told them they could come over, and I'd help them do it on my computer). They still think there's a catch somewhere.

[patricia92243]

9. Depends which state you are in. AARP is not the best plan in NC. Humana

Insurance is, and they do provide a calculator. They offer 3 plans - $13, $18 , or $60. The $60 plan does not leave a person with the "gap." I'm encouraging my sister to sign up for the $18 plan, and if she does not like it, she can change in a year. That's what I will do when my time comes - or it might be sorted out better than it is now.

[lonestarnot]

14. So are you saying that AARP is the best plan in your opinion?

[TaleWgnDg]

21. And, these prescription drug programs for seniors vary, state-to-state...

unreal!

[yurbud]

15. that education scam is worth a thread of it's own--got a link?

[TaleWgnDg]

22. the authority to do this is in the language of the act as passed

by congress and as signed by GWBush.

[ClintonTyree]

3. All I can add.......

is my experience with it. It pays for me to go to a more expensive pharmacy where I would pay sometimes twice what I could get the same prescription for at say, the hated Wal*Mart.
My prescription drugs cost around $90 a month at Wal*Mart (though I hate going there). After paying the monthly premiums and the co-pays I save little or nothing. If I were to go to a more expensive pharmacy my prescriptions cost $140 a month. After my insurance premium and co-pays I'd save about $50 a month. I know, I'm not really "saving" anything but the higher priced pharmacy and pharmaceutical companies are getting substantially richer.
What I'm concerned about it later in life when my prescription costs are sure to rise. If I don't enroll now my premiums will be increased later on if I should enroll.
Most of the prescription drug plans don't cover certain drugs and have a deductible as well. The whole thing was ill-conceived. poorly planned and in short, a give-away to Big Pharma. This program could have been much better thought out but then we have to look at WHO planned it in the first place. Therein lies the answer to all of the inconsistencies and utter bullshit this program entails.

[Justice Is Comin]

5. The entire fiasco was written

by the drug companies. To FORBID the Health and Human Services Secretary from bargaining to get the best price on prescriptions is so insane you can't even quantify it.

The vote, the terms, the coverups, the ram-job at 4:30 in the morning couldn't have been more dedicated to the drug companies if the drug companies could have voted. They even spent 20 MILLION in taxpayers money to tell people how good it was.

Next they're coming for the internet. That big juicy pile of untapped revenue that they need because of their millionaire giveaways. Mark my words, that's where they're going to point their pirate ship next.

These bastards are like rats that come out for cheese only in the middle of the night.

[Kindigger]

6. I noticed that.

We have no pharmacy in town. The pharmacy most used by the elderly I know has delivery from nearby, and I've found them to be more expensive than the one I am able to drive to. I called them several times to get price lists of medications. The prices I was given were substantially higher than the one's given on the website (you punch in the zipcode, select from a list of pharmacies).

[rox63]

7. My elderly mom likes it

But she didn't have to figure it out on her own. She was already enrolled in a state program that helped her with prescriptions, and they automatically enrolled her in a Medicare drug program that covered all her meds. And her copays will be lower on the new plan.

That said, most elderly people don't have the sort of help my mom does, and I can see where the plan is a total boondoggle for them. And the dumbest thing about it is that the government can't negotiate for lower drug prices with the pharmaceutical companies.

[zippy890]

8. chaos & confusion in the elderly housing where i work

its a horrible plan all around, poorly conceived & incompetently executed

[WePurrsevere]

10. FYI: It is not just "old" people on Medicare & offered this idiocy.

I am NOT "old" (middle age I might grant ;-) ) and I have been on Medicare since I was in my early 30's due to becoming disabled with MS. There are other disabled even younger then I was who get Social Security and Medicare as well.

DH (who is also not "old" at 50 and is disabled) and I are not signing up and we are not "confused" by this RX plan fiasco so much as we think it's one of the biggest pieces of BS legislation ever passed. It could have truly been something great but the gov well and truly messed up big time on this one.

[yurbud]

17. I'm glad you aren't old or confused.

[Corgigal]

18. Hubby has Medicare

awarded to him at age 32. He was struck by a vehicle, intentionally.

That said, he hasn't signed on for any plan. We like what we have now, the AAA discount. We use it for the whole family and AAA only cost us 30 dollars a year. I'm not even sure it's a good idea to sign up with any plan right now, penalties be damned. I have looked at too many plans and I'm not impressed with any of them.

[izzie]

11. Had a 'letter' in NYT of some one who liked it.

I still do not know what I am in or doing. SS has said one thing and state another so I am not going to worry as I take no pills and I am sure that the GOP will make a mess of it any how. When you can not do a thing about it I guess not wasting your time is the best move.

[yurbud]

16. letter of supporter could be PR firm like fake letters from troops or...

pundits paid by White House, Abramoff, and other corporate interests.

[ComerPerro]

12. The only reason my Grandmother isn't in serious trouble right now

is because my aunt (her daughter) is a Pharmacist and made sure to enroll her in the plan that would include all of her medicines and get her what she needed.

But she lives in a retirement community, and she was telling me yesterday that she knows a lot of people who are having some serious difficulty getting their meds.

[lapislzi]

13. Freeper co-worker thinks she has all the answers

She also has more money than anyone I know. She gets on her high horse if anyone criticizes the program: "Well, people shouldn't expect the government to take care of them. Those days are over." She is so gungho about it that she's been hired by senior groups and banks to explain it to other seniors. Sheesh.

Typical FUJIOK mentality.

[sandnsea]

20. Those days aren't over

Government is just taking care of different kind of person, the corporate personhood person, that's all.

[sandnsea]

19. A medicaid transfer

A social worker helped him pick the plan though. So it transferred smoothly and he's perfectly content. But Medicare never has covered everything, so I don't know what this will mean for him in the long run.

[0007]

23. I haven't found anything to like about. And haven't found any

that does.