While the press has been diverted by Swift Boats and the Republican convention, the biggest player in the pharmaceutical industry has been engaged in a bait and switch to terminate its highly touted discount card and dump 536,000 unprepared seniors on the Bush prescription drug quagmire.
Pfizer announced late Tuesday, August 31, (NYT) that it was ending its highly touted discount drug card for seniors. Some seniors may be unable to change cards until January under the complex rules of the Bush program.
Pfizer's political ties demonstrate the daunting challenges seniors face in obtaining affordable medications.
Hank McKinnell of Greenwich, CT, CEO of Pfizer, is a Bush Pioneer. But the ties don't end there.
In addition to acting as hatchet man on John Kerry's military service, former Senator Bob Dole has been promoting his National Medicare Drug Discount information Campaign (most recently on August 26 in Atlanta) bankrolled by Pfizer. Although it is presented as a public service, it encourages seniors to sign up for the Bush program, and has partisan talking points.
He provides a Web site, http://www.bobdoleonmedicare.com ,
that advises seniors the following:
-Do understand this is the beginning of a series of significant enhancements to Medicare that will go into full effect in January of 2006. In sum, these actions will amount to the biggest positive changes
in Medicare since the program was started in 1965.
-Don't accept statements by those who say this was a "Republican" or a "Democrat" bill. The new Medicare law was supported by members of both parties and signed into law by President Bush.
In an interesting coincidence, only a few hours after Pfizer's announcement, Arnold Schwartzenegger spoke at the Republican convention. He said,
``I want other people to get the same chances I did, the same opportunities. And I believe they can. That's why I believe in this country, that's why I believe in this party -- and that's why I believe in this president.''
Apparently, American seniors do not have the same opportunities. Pfizer, in addition to financing the Dole tour,is also bankrolling Schwartzenegger's travel and stay at the Republican convention.
"A lot of people will be left high and dry starting tomorrow," said Robert M. Hayes, president of the Medicare Rights Center, a nonprofit consumer advocacy group.
Terminator is taking on new meaning. Compassionate conservatism at work.