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Position on Prescription Drug Program
Another “accomplishment” of the Bush Administration was the passage of Medicare part D, which was hailed a first in helping seniors with high cost of prescription drugs. In reality, it is a sell out to private insurance companies who will make millions of dollars off of senior citizens. Medicare part D replaces traditional government-run Medicare with private plans offered by companies and subsidized by the federal government. This has created a situation where companies have rushed to offer various plans, confusing seniors. In some states senior have over 60 plans to choose from. Each plan covers different prescription drugs and has different co-payments and benefits. Seniors have been flooded with advertisement for various plans both by mail and by telephone, helping to foster anxiety about choosing the right one for them. Instead of allowing senior citizens time to evaluate their options, the law imposes a 1% penalty per month for seniors who don’t sign up by the May 15 th deadline.
There are also gaps in coverage of the plan. Medicare covers 75% of all prescription drug costs up to 2,250 annually for seniors, what drugs are covered by this 75% depends on the individual plan seniors sign up for. From 2,250 to 5,100 there is NO HELP for senior citizens. After 5,100 dollars Medicare will cover up to 95% of all costs, again what is covered and what isn’t depends on the specific plan. This sets up a potentially destructive “donut hole” situation for some senior citizens. The law also FORBIDS THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT FROM NEGOTIATING FOR LOWER DRUG PRICES. One of the reasons prescription drugs are less expensive in Canada is that the Canadian federal government uses its massive purchasing power to negotiate lower prices for drugs. Medicare part D specifically prohibits our federal government from doing the same thing. It is estimated that allowing the federal government to negotiate lower drug prices would save $560 billion dollars over 8 years! (Source: TomPaine.com) As you can see from a table in the following link that compares prices, drug costs ARE NOT LOWERED under Medicare part D. http://www.needymeds.com/articles/medpartDtable.tml
The solution? Allow our federal government to use its buying power to negotiate lower prices, eliminate the confusion of dozens of plans that cover different drugs and treatments by simplifying it to at most 2 or 3 government run plans. Medicare part D was written by drug lobbyists for the prescription drug industry!
Web links:
http://www.fairmedicare.org/Resources/dcoder.htm
http://www.tompaine.com/articles/2006/03/01/the_80_billion_medicare_sellout.php
http://www.cahealthadvocates.org/newsletter/2006/04/how.html
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