Yesterday, my mother read the diary I wrote about Catherine Seiff battling Blue Cross of California for her life saving medications.
If you missed it, and care to read about her sad struggle, you can do so here:
http://www.dailykos.com/...
Then she called me and said, "so what should I do about all this Medicare D stuff, isn't there some sort of deadline to sign-up?"
Indeed there is some sort of deadline which Mr. Bush does not want to extend.
Those who enroll after May 15 will pay an extra premium for every month they wait. Let's call it what it is. This is a Bush Tax. This is a Bush Tax on America's most vulnerable--our senior citizens.
So I said to my mother, "I don't know. I don't have a clue."
In fact, my mother is one of the more fortunate seniors. She has what is called a Medi-Gap policy. It is very expensive but it does include some woefully inadequate prescription drug coverage.
The questions we are grappling with, I am sure, are familiar to families and senior citizens across America.
Does my mother keep what she already has? If she gives up the Medi-Gap and goes to Medicare D, she cannot get it back.
Does she try and keep some portion of the Medi-gap policy and take a stand alone Medicare D plan?
If she takes a Medicare D plan, what assurance does she have that in a year, they will maintain the formulary with the drugs she takes? None. Zero assurances, dear friends.
Remember when you are advising the seniors in your life, that this corrupt legislation was passed in the middle of the night, under cover of darkness. It's hard not to have mixed feeling about enrolling a loved one in such an abomination.
Also bear in mind, this legislation is all about lots of $$ for the pharmaceutical companies and the insurance industry.
Contrary to deceit like this being issued by the Department of Health and Human Services, seniors are terrified of the scam and are not signing up.
Medicare announced today that more than 30 million Medicare beneficiaries are receiving prescription drug coverage, including more than 8 million beneficiaries who have gotten new, individual prescription drug coverage since the program began. More than 93 million prescriptions were filled for these beneficiaries with drug coverage during March -- averaging 3 million prescriptions filled per day.
http://www.hhs.gov/
Jane Brody the esteemed health reporter for the New York Times explains the reality of Medicare D and why many senior citizens are loathe to participate.
Although the administration says that 30 million people have prescription coverage, only 8 million voluntarily enrolled in a Medicare plan. Most of the rest already had drug insurance or were automatically rolled over into a Medicare plan.
For many reasons, people are hesitating to take advantage of this supposed benefit. The main problem has been the mandated middlemen among prescriber, patient and pharmacy.
http://www.nytimes.com/...
Is this what you want your mother or father to confront?
The introduction of commercial middlemen into the drug program has caused mass confusion among potential enrollees and is the source of loopholes and glitches that many participants have already encountered. Though plans are not allowed to increase premiums this year, they can -- and probably will -- increase in future years. Also, plans can change the drugs that they cover and the co-payments for each drug at any time. They can also drop coverage of some drugs entirely, but you can change plans just in the year-end enrollment periods. If a drug is dropped, the plan has to give patients 60 days' notice or a 60-day supply of the drug.
It makes me shudder to think of the dire medical consequences that will play out across the nation as this horror kicks into full gear. Consequences like this:
Let's say you require an expensive drug to treat multiple sclerosis and you choose a plan that now covers it, albeit with a large co-payment. If the plan decides in August to end coverage of that drug, you may be stuck paying the full amount for the rest of the year, when with luck you can find another plan that still covers it.
Or how about this?
There is another reason that the plan you choose today may not work for you tomorrow. During the year, you could develop an illness that requires a drug that your plan does not cover. You and your doctor can file an appeal, but the insurer is not obligated to respond favorably.
No thank you, Mr. Bush. Keep your corrupt Medicare D. You are an evil little coward. And America's seniors are gonna whoop your ass at the polls come November 7th.
You can take it to the bank, Mr. Bush.
I write, shaking with rage.