Seniors Going Broke with Bush’s Medicare Drug Plan

[Omaha Steve]

Full article: http://blog.aflcio.org/2006/08/22/seniors-going-broke-with-bush%e2%80%99s-medicare-drug-plan/

Seniors Going Broke with Bush’s Medicare Drug Plan

For nearly 40 years, Paul Sauerland helped people in need while working as a social worker for Catholic Charities. Now when he is in need, the Bush-run federal government is failing him.

Like millions of other retirees, Sauerland thought he would save money on prescription drugs under the Bush Medicare Part D plan. But this year, he and his wife will pay $4,500 for drugs he paid $3,000 for last year—before the Bush “reform.” In fact, he’ll spend $3,000 in the last six months of this year alone for prescription drugs.


Paul Sauerland


Under the new Medicare Part D rules passed by Congress in 2003, out-of-pocket prescription expenses between the annual amounts of $2,251 and $5,100 are not covered. This nearly $3,000 gap has been dubbed the “doughnut hole.” Of the 11.8 million Medicare enrollees whose plans include a coverage gap, the Kaiser Family Foundation estimates 6.9 million of them could hit the doughnut hole. A staff researcher says the real number may be higher.

Sauerland, 86, who has been blind since age two, reached the doughnut hole in July, after just six months in the Medicare program. He says he has no choice but to pay the cost because he needs his medications to keep his heart and thyroid conditions under control. But he’s not sure how much longer he can continue to pay out of pocket. His voice trails off when he tries to explain what choices he and his wife may have to make in order to afford the medicines he needs:

I’m so disgusted. I didn’t expect to get into this hole when the year was just about half over. I still have a half year to go. We got on Medicare because we were looking to save as much as we can. But when you’re living on a fixed income…if this keeps going on, I don’t know what will happen. We will have to give up something and cut down expenses some way. We’d be eating into our savings and that could be troublesome. I don’t want to think about it.

Sauerland, who lives in Hicksville, N.Y., doesn’t have the security of union-negotiated health care. He says the jobs he had with Catholic Charities weren’t unionized.

Millions of retirees are experiencing similar crises. A report by the Institute for America’s Future, the research arm of the Campaign for America’s Future, finds the average Medicare-eligible recipient will fall into the doughnut hole on Sept. 22 this year forcing seniors to pay the full cost of their prescription drugs on top of Medicare Part D’s costly monthly premiums. The doughnut hole coverage gap will increase over time as the catastrophic coverage threshold rises annually, swallowing up more seniors. As a result, 55 percent of those who hole will not be able to escape it, according to the report Falling into the Doughnut Hole: How Congress and the Drug Industry Created a Trap for American Seniors and People with Disabilities.

[Deja Q]

1. Well, they better keep an eye on who they want to vote for this year.

If GOP popularity goes up because of terrorism, I can't feel pity for those folks. They want to live in poverty, which is why they are voting for the candidates they choose. Their record exists and speaks volumes.

[aggiesal]

47. Personally, I'm getting tired of hearing these sob stories.

Nassau county where Hicksville is located voted democratic in 2000 and 2004.

So odds are that this person, voted against King George in each election. It didn't state in the article who he voted for.

But, why I'm getting tired of hearing these sob stories? We predicted this was going to happen.

Yet George is a good christian, so I'm voting for him. It doesn't matter that my fixed income can't support gas at $2.50/gal. let alone $3.00/gal. or that I have to pay $3000 for prescription drugs this year when I didn't have to pay anything last year. Or that I no longer get VA benefits because the closest VA hospital is now 4 hours away. Or that my mortgage interest rate on that reverse mortgage I took out to pay for my medical services is now at 8%, or that my credit card company is charging me 32% monthly interest because I paid my telephone bill too late.

I'm just glad he voteod that stem cell bill that congress tried to pass, because it's murder. It's not illegal to perform stem cell research, but I don't want my federal goverment to support murder. Although if a pharmaceutical wants to preform stem cell research, and I can make a profit, I'd invest heavily on that pharmeceutical. I have to pay for my meds somehow.

[nam78_two]

49. well I do feel bad for them

Maybe they voted the wrong way-One of the reasons I dislike the Bushies so much is that they are people with absolutely no compassion for anyone and people who don't see any nuance...

I think it would be sad if we progressives became like them and thought "screw them" about some group of people even if they don't subscribe to our beliefs. If these were a bunch of rich folks whining I wouldn't care that much...

But old age+not enough money to pay for meds = kinda sad :(

I always feel bad about anything bad happening to seniors...seriously it must just suck to have to deal with this crap near the end of your life :(.

I always think of how sad it would be if those were my grandparents..

[aggiesal]

53. I fell bad for those that voted against Bush

and are stuck in this situation.

The sceanario that I sarcastically wrote about are those that voted for King George due to 1 issue; He's Christian.

These people I feel are getting everything they deserve.
So, no I really don't feel bad, because they're draggin the rest of us down with them.

[tbyg52]

56. You do have a point,

although I feel sorry for him and others like him anyway.

But there's a lot of people out there who vote their "conscience" until it has some consequence for *them*.

[lumpy]

68. Are you assuming that seniors

voted for and support Geo.W.Bush? Medicare, until this drug coverage debacle was put into effect, didn't pay for prescription drugs for seniors. Fortunatly, I saw the handwriting on the wall and didn't apply for this coverage. I am on a very limited income and my prescription expense is rather low. I feel sorry for those seniors who got sucked into this farce and who have the need for drugs that are terribly over priced. Your post is offensive assuming that seniors support Bush and that they have the means to even make 'investments'. "Sob stories" ? You know nothing.

[lumpy]

70. Just who are "those folks" that

you have no pity for? Are they "those folks" whose "record exists" and "want to live in poverty" that's why "they are living in poverty for the candidate they chose"? Who in the Sam Hell are you speaking of? Seniors citizens?

[havocmom]

2. Gotta squeeze the last drop from them - their heirs need nothing but bills

But the heirs of the top 1% need a huge tax cut. Yeah, that makes America work... for the ultra-rich feudal-lord wannabees.

[nashville_brook]

11. plebes don't have "heirs" -- we have family

if we had heirs, then we'd BE the government. the Scaifes, the Fords, etc... they have heirs...

actually, we'll be lucky just to be remembered in the fossil record.

[havocmom]

13. Sure we do. We get gray hairs worrying about the world our heirs

are stuck with. ;)

[AndyA]

3. I hope a lot of them are in the dough nut hole in November, and I hope

they take their anger out on the party that deserves it: the GOP. Americans need to send a strong message to all elected representatives in November. And that message needs to be that we are holding them accountable for their actions, and no more free rides if they don't do what we want them to do.

And that goes for the Dems as well as the Repugs. Do your jobs, do them faithfully, honestly, and with good intentions. And remember why you're there. And it isn't to take kick backs from lobbyists.

[nashville_brook]

10. hopefully donut hole people don't vote on DIEbold

[peaches2003]

16. We do both

Both in the donut hole and voting on Diebold here in GA.

[nashville_brook]

18. GA is a hotbed of election probs -- not as widely recognized as

Ohio and Florida.

[asjr]

4. Before the part D went into effect,, the drug

companies, in some cases, upped the retail value of their drugs 200%. And it is the retail price they use when determining when you have reached the "hole." Just another rip-off configured by the administration.

[peaches2003]

17. Exactly

Many people don't understand that it is not just out-of-pocket expenses that determine reaching the donut hole of 2250. The total used to reach the donut hole is what you had actually paid as your portion of drug costs, your monthly premiums, AND what Medicare Part D has paid for you! You therefore can get to 2250 very quickly.

And the drug companies HAVE raised the retail price of popular drugs for seniors and also can eliminate any of the drugs that they wish to from the list of drugs covered under the plan.

This should be pounded over and over by the Dems during the campaigns. If nothing else we seniors VOTE!

[LastLiberal in PalmSprings]

61. It's so complex even my insurer can't explain it

I'm on Aetna Golden Medicare, which had great drug coverage for the past five years until Part D kicked in this year. I talked with a rep for nearly an hour last December and again when I got my first summary of benefits in February. So I was dumbfounded when my credit card was hit for $700 to refill a drug that had cost $80 three months before.

There are two tabulations running at the same time: (1) what you are paying the provider out of your pocket (your co-pay), and (2) the total cost of the drugs you've received. The second one is the important number -- the one that gets you into the donut hole. In my case, I had paid $96 in copays the first quarter. In the background, however, was the "true" cost of the drugs, which even customer service couldn't tell me, so I wasn't warned that I was rapidly approaching the donut hole. Since I use the mail order pharmacy they automatically bill my credit card. THEN they were able to explain what the rules really were. Needless to say, I call the pharmacy direct now whenever I have a prescription filled.

What pisses me off is that for $700 I could get a six month supply of the same drug from Canada instead of the three months I got from Aetna.

[peaches2003]

62. Canadian drugs

We used to buy our most expensive drugs direct from Canada at great savings and with great customer service. Then they had to send them from either New Zealand or the UK as the US began to crack down on drugs entering from Canada. We finally could not depend on shipments and went back to our regular pharmacy with Part D.

How can Bush and his lemmings 'rule' that Lipitor, a cholestrol drug not a narcotic, cannot be imported for God's sake? Of course because they are collecting big $$$ from the drug industry.

Your monthly Medicare Part D statement tells you exactly where you stand on your drug costs, btw. It's easy to track.

[fasttense]

5. My mother falls into that stupid donut hole

She is paying over $4,000 for a serious blood problem and other medical issues. To tell you honestly, most elderly on regular medication that I know fall into this supposed donut hole. I think congress planned it that way so that most people end up paying for prescriptions themselves while also paying for a useless drug plan. Yet congress got a raise and gays can't marry, so no need to worry.

[madrchsod]

6. according to out congress and president

no matter what age if you get a serious illness it`s best just to die. what a wonderful fucking country we live in

[schmuls]

7. Exactly... the more people die because of the neo-cons f...ked up

policies, the better. Then the Great Decider will have less people questioning his actions.

[Quantess]

8. Not everyone of course. Bush does care about *some* seniors.

Bush cares about wealthy seniors.
Bush himself, and all his cronies, will have optimal health care in their golden sunset years. Isn't that heartwarming?

Every other American senior citizen should just rot in a gutter and die the old fashioned way, circa stoneage BC.

Recommend this thread!

[Quantess]

74. replying to myself, since it's obviously too late to add "sarcasm" smilie.

Oh how sad, should I have added a sarcasm smilie after that? Did I really need to? People don't get sarcasm?

I was really serious about recommending the thread. And, of course, the part about Bush caring about only himself and his wealthy cronies.

[nashville_brook]

9. what's the purpose of the HOLE? b/c, it's there for reason...

you know that, don't you?

it's not a mistake or a miscalculation, "whoops! someone left a donut hole in our healthcare system!"

why is it there?
who put it there?
what purpose does it serve?
whose purposes does it serve?


as you watch your parents die... as you impugn your health for thefinancial health of the family... you begin to wonder...

[teknomanzer]

27. The purpose is to further undermine the middle class...

But I'm sure that is what you are referring to. Our parents who may have put a little aside, may own a home, could leave their children a very modest sum at their passing. At least enough for funeral costs. But under this plan whatever they have put aside will be quickly eaten up. Don't forget the new bankruptcy laws. Now there is no escaping the debt. A perfect redistribution of wealth. Class warfare at its best. In the blink of an eye the only challenge to the plutocracy (ie the voting middle class) is eliminated.

[dhbruns]

38. Why the "hole"

The main reason is so the cost of the Medi-Scam drug benefit wouldn't have been in the TRILLIONS of dollars. And you still have to pay your premimum during the donut-hole time while you are also paying full-price for your drugs. Only after you spend a few thousand of your own dollars does the benefit resume. The great thing is that huge numbers of seniors will be falling into the hole very close to the election. Can't wait for AARP to realize they were totally misled.

[The Wizard]

64. When a crime is committed

The first question that needs to be answered is who benefits. As Deep Throat said to Woodward and Bernstein, "follow the money." Every time those in the Administration open their mouths a crime against the American people, and humanity in general, is committed. Send them to The Hague.

[Felix Mala]

12. Not Just Broke... My mom has been hospitalized twice

over new heart medication since no program takes all her scripts, she chose one that took most, except her heart patch. The heart patch worked great, but the first two replacement drugs covered by her "formulary"(for disaster...)got her two, Medicare-paid trips to the ER and five days of hospitalization. The drug she's on now works pretty good, but how many 'near misses' is a 76 year-old expected to have before her body just gives up? She doesn't know what she'll do the first of November when she hits the donut. She probably sell her house and go on welfare.

[TechBear_Seattle]

14. But Big Pharma is making a killing

(Sorry about the pun.) And when Big GOP Donors make Big Bucks, all is well in America.

:sarcasm:

[nashville_brook]

19. SICKO -- can't wait for Moore's new film

[sui generis]

15. this policy was written BY Big Pharma FOR Big Pharma

and the legislative change was a big gimme from Bush to his ardent supporters and fellow shareholders.

Seriously, all the operations research wizards that worked out yield management for the airlines worked out a form of yield management for prescription drugs; all those shiny happy little republican Harvard MBA's are happy to tell you that if you can't afford your basic medicine it's time for you to check out and leave the store.

Paying members only please.

Competition, i.e., opening the market to competing service providers, is supposed to reduce the cost of providing those services as the service originators and providers compete for clients/customers. That has clearly not been the case in energy, transportation, healthcare, phone service, and coming to an INTERNETS near you soon, no-longer neutral broadband service.

One other really super stinky thing; pharma's dirty little secret. When they sign these contracts with the providers big pharma relies on a certain number of existing customers to be alive a year from now on their current regimen, so they pre-book revenue within those margins. If they oversell (overstock future), then they have a slump in "actual" sales next quarter or next year, but that future slump is by far offset by current increase in share value based on how revenue is booked and projected today.

Yes, America, you are being harvested coming and going.

[nashville_brook]

20. "you are being harvested..." --- word.

[Quakerfriend]

21. Very well said, sui!

And, don't forget to mention that the prices set by BigPharm go TOTALLY unregulated!

[filer]

22. Didn't the AARP endorse this fiasco?

Didn't they say something like the plan wasn't perfect but it was better than nothing? That kind of cave-in thinking has given us "doughnut holes" from the a-holes.

[TechBear_Seattle]

24. The AARP lost a lot of membership over the endorsement

And even more are leaving. Because of the high soaring cost of necessary medicines, a great many seniors can no longer afford to pay AARP membership dues.

Oops!

[ClintonTyree]

63. I dropped my membership..........

and will never, NEVER rejoin! AARP said that the number of people dropping out was "negligible". :eyes: Right, I know of at least 10 people myself, now extrapolate that.........

It doesn't deter them from sending me tons of bullshit in the mail though. They're forever trying to bring me back into the fold. I return each and every one of their pre-paid envelopes with a typed screed about how they sold out Seniors with their support of this heinous bill. I'm sure no one reads them but they're paying for the postage anyway. Jack-offs! :grr:

[interregnum]

23. Dollars to Donuts

There seems to be little doubt that Medicare part D is a massive dodge designed to funnel money into insurance/pharma coffers.

There was a push early to mid 2005 to educate community pharmacists on what had to be done in order to smoothly move people into these plans. I was among the many people reading about 'TROOP' and the 'donut hole', etc. It was clear then as now that the structure was NOT designed to benefit the patients.

This donut hole debacle has already been clearly delineated in other posts, but it should be noted that even as far back as February, Pharmacy educators where worried that there would be plans that rushed them through the initial coverage period and kept them perpetually in the donut hole. Simply put, many people who need this coverage in the first place are not going to be able to come up with several grand out of pocket - they'll just undermedicate or worse yet stop getting their medications in lieu of things like eating. Thus the 'TROOP" or true out of pocket expense will inch by or never really reach so-called 'catastrophic coverage' levels. Actually the name was quite appropriate. The coverage would resume after a person's and their families' lives were utterly destroyed. The question was brought during an after lecture Q&A - WTF was this F***G thing doing there in the first place??? All we got was an nod of concern but a warning to be practical: THIS IS JUST THE WAY IT'S GOING TO BE.


And of course the copays even for those who have been doing everything right have been nothing short of astounding. I've seen people go from paying nothing or 5-10$ to having to pay $50 for their medications. Wow. Not good news if you're on a fixed income. BUt then this whole thing isn't good news for any of us.

[filer]

29. When the lobbyists write the laws, this is what you end up with.

What particularly galls me is the provision disallowing Medicare from negotiating prices with Big Pharmacy. As usual, privatization of essential services fails everybody but the providers. They, of course, profit hugely. But then, that's the point, isn't it.

Good post! Welcome to DU from another newbie.

[still_one]

25. This wasn't hidden information

he could have figured it out before he signed up for the prescription plan. There were groups such as AARP, Kaiser, and government agencies to help anyone. For some people it doesn't pay, for others it does.

There wasn't any plan before, and in reality, it is helping more people than it is hurting. This is like anything else, you should understand whether it is in your best interest or not.

In addition, this could be rectified by legislation. This is at least a start, and for most people in that group it is better than nothing

[Serial Mom]

30. May be a start, but stop blaming the victims!

Ever try to read and understand the tax code? Ever try to read and understand a court ruling? Ever try to read and understand a Congressional bill? Same applies for Medicare!

he could have figured it out before he signed up for the prescription plan

I was caregiver to my dad for the last 1/2 year of his life and trying to figure out Medicare was not easy - who pays what, what to file, what was denied, etc.

dubya avoided the whole situation by letting pharma and insurance companies deal with it instead of government. Now I know government is not all that efficient, but either they pay for 'scripts or they don't. They should have run the program and negotiated lower prices overall instead of letting corporations make money on the backs of our elderly!

[still_one]

45. Most of the Democrats voted for it also

because it was better than nothing. I not only was caregiver to my folks, but also to my wifes

As far as blaming the victims, you read the policy, if you don't understand it, and still go into it, whose fault is it?

People are having trouble now because they jumped into adjustable loans when interest rates are low, now they are finding out that they cannot afford the mortgage since interest rates have gone up. Whose responsibility is it?

When do people take responsibility for their actions. Nobody put a gun to anybodys head and told them to signup for it. This is life. Those that enlisted in the Army, and now are not happy because they are in Iraq, what did they think they were doing when they signed the bottom line.

It may sound heartless, but that's life. If people don't like it they can vote for someone who represents their ideals. Obviously, with voter turnout at a dismal 20% nationwide it doesn't say much for those that vote

[mariema]

52. It not only sounds heartless, it is heartless.

You didn't look at the GAO report, did you? If you were given bad info by a big pharma customer service rep, you should just suck it up and shut up? Vote in someone else if you are still alive by the time the next election comes around?

It isn't easy to figure out which plan is the right plan and if you were thinking of maybe not signing up for Medicare Part D there was that scare tactic they used to practically force you into choosing a plan:

"You will pay a penalty if you don't sign up by May 15th, 2006 and then want to sign up later"

These people have taken responsibility for themselves all their lives and now at the end of it, when they should be able to relax and stop worrying so much we expect them to jump thru endless hoops to get the medications they need. This is so sad.

And what do adjustable rate mortgages and enlisting in the military have to do with Medicare Part D? Comparing people who complain about their decisions in those particular situations with elderly people who didn't have enough clear, easily understandable information to make a good choice is not an equitable comparison.

Marie

[Serial Mom]

54. You sound like a repuke - take responsibility !

Pull yourself up by your bootstraps! Could you be a Dem Without a Conscience? BTW, who were "Most the DEMS" that voted for it?

Nobody put a gun to anybodys head SHEESH!!

Sometimes, people don't have the same opportunities as others to become informed as you so righteously state! Sometimes the government puts fear into citizens (ala Terra Alerts; Sign up now or lose the benefit). Sometimes older people are confused and don't have a son or daughter helping them out or informing them as our parents and in-laws may have had. Sometimes our government has to take responsibility to offer something better for it's citizens other than letting corporations get rich off of it!

And sometimes, you have to open your heart to help those less fortunate.

And yes, you are heartless in the words you choose.

[12string]

55. MEDICARE PART D

Have you looked at the medicare website to determine what plan
would suit you?I may not be an Einstein but I always was at
the top in my class,and tested to the top two percent of the
population.I also am not elderly yet.I did become
disabled,however,and found myself trying to figure this
bullshit plan out before the deadline.I must say it is not an
easy task.Anyone that thinks this debacle was written and
slammed through congress with anyone other than "Big
Pharma" in mind is not only an idiot but an asshole as
well.

[Rosemary2205]

34. I call Bullshit

Medicare D made it illegal for for the local pharmacy to continue to give medication discounts to seniors electing not to join to plan. It also cut 1000's upon 1000's of seniors off from the highly expensive freebee meds they were getting through big Pharm assistance programs. This was done specificially to force more people into the Medicare D system. It was done specifically to REMOVE choices.

[still_one]

46. Those assistant programs are still available

you don't like it, tell your representative

[fasttense]

72. My mother was kicked off her drug assistance program

from my father's pension. She still gets a small pension and medical coverage. But she use to have a drug assistance coverage that picked up over 90% of the costs of her medicines. The company kicked her off of it when this legislation went into affect saying they were required by law to discontinue her drug assistance program. Now she pays for all her medication and this stupid program too. How was she at fault????

[KitSileya]

48. And I call bullshit on this being privatization.

This wasn't privatization, where the government negotiates or provides services for the people for the best of the people, trying to make it as cheap as possible for the people, while not having profit as a goal. This was the lobbyists negotiating for their companies, for the express purpose of raising profits.

[mariema]

40. It is hard enough being old, blind and in ill health

still one says

"this wasn't hidden information…he could have figured it out before he signed up for the prescription plan. There were groups such as AARP, Kaiser, and government agencies to help anyone. For some people it doesn't pay, for others it does."

(I swear, my in laws’ scenario and Paul Sauerland’s are almost exactly the same.)

Let’s say you are a blind 86 year old man who has to figure our which one of dozens of plans "works" for you. You try to get help from AARP and are naturally told their plan would be best in your situation. Hmm. When you finally get thru to Medicare after days of trying, they refer you to their website or they leave you hanging on hold for 46 minutes. Then they have a young, impatient and really fast talking customer service rep who only wants to hear about your list of prescriptions so she can figure out a “formula” for you as quickly as possible. She doesn’t seem to understand that you are blind and can’t take notes. Your wife is hard of hearing and can’t understand a word the rep says. The drug companies help lines don’t do much good. No single one of their plans covers all of your medications. And no matter who you talk to, not one of them explains to you that the “donut hole" isn’t arrived at by just your costs for your medicine.

As peaches says in no. 17:
Many people don't understand that it is not just out-of-pocket expenses that determine reaching the donut hole of 2250. The total used to reach the donut hole is what you had actually paid as your portion of drug costs, your monthly premiums, AND what Medicare Part D has paid for you! You therefore can get to 2250 very quickly.

And did you know the Government Accountability Office found that when people asked for help in determining which plan would cover their prescriptions at the lowest cost, they got the right answer only 41 percent of the time? http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d06710.pdf

So to blithely say “he could have figured it out before he signed up for the prescription plan” is not only callous, it is uninformed and myopic.

It is hard enough being old, blind and in ill health without adding to it the confusion and stress of this ill-conceived and badly wrought government "benefit".

Marie

edited for spelling

[lumpy]

69. In reviewing this thread It is

apparent that there is a callous attitude that prevails toward seniors... period. I have noticed this attitude in other instances. Assuming that seniors voted for and support Bush is wrong. Assuming that all seniors are Christian is wrong. Assuming that all seniors have nest eggs and huge stashes of money is wrong. Assuming that seniors are living in comfort on easy street without struggling to pay their way is wrong. Assuming that seniors don't agonize over what the future will be for their offspring is wrong. I have had it up to here with people who refuse to show respect for the elderly. People who show this callous attitude toward the elderly is the face of the Ugly American. There are valid and understandable reasons why once middle class seniors are struggling to get along. That would take several chapters in a history book to explain.

[emald]

26. meanwhile, how many tens of billions are spent each month

in that dirty hell hole that used to be Iraq. I'm telling you, it's time for a revolution in this country. Big corporations are stealing us blind, economically raping our combined wealth for the benefit of a few rich butwipes. How long are we going to endure our sick, our old, our young, having their needs forestalled?
It is time to remove the corporations power and remove their legal "citizenship". How wealthy would we be if weapons systems and halliburton greed didn't suck our pockets dry? Goddammit, 1984 is happening before our very eyes and we are just letting it happen. Diebold be damned. GOP be damned. Fucking moral criminals dressed in fine clothes smelling of fine perfumes. Jesus said it plain, love of money is the root of all evil. Corporations exist for one reason, accumulation of money, or "the bottom line". To that end the corps have used deception and political manipulation to achieve their aims. Look at the fuck-twit we have shilling as pResident. It's just unbelievable that americans, once the great and proud of the world, have settled into their sofas, gotten fat, and allowed this carnage of the corporations to happen. We, folks, are the great Babylon, at least of this century.

[IWantAChange]

28. there is no reality

Big Pharma - big contibutions - big influence on media - big lies told often enough to become accepted as truth - business as usual.

[ladywnch]

31. come on now, the plan works EXACTLY as it was intended to

It was never meant to provide help to seniors for prescription meds. It was desinged to pay jr's buddies in insurance and pharmacuticals a tidy profit.....which it does. It wasn't as easy as you think to come up with such a deceptive program and still make it sound like they were doing seniors a favor........it took great orchestration, bribery and threats. Give them credit, most pigs won't stand still long enough to have lipstick applied.

[theophilus]

32. Democrats need to Scream Real Loud about this issue and promise

that "Changes will be made!" when they are elected in November. Get the Seniors out to vote in droves. Stir them up and make them mad. They know what it was like back in the bad old days. They know that things can be run correctly by the government and that government isn't "always bad" like the Repukes like to paint the situation. Now is the time for the mature folks to rise up and send these NeoCon greed freaks packing. Old and yound unite to save our country and our planet! Change WILL happen!

[depakid]

42. Some Dems can't

Like my senator and congress person.

They crossed over and voted with the Republicans.

Needless to say, for this (and several other) reasons- that man will NEVER get my vote again. Period, end of story.

[Rosemary2205]

33. F Bush and F the D's who allowed this to become law.

The whole thing about not being able to negotiate prices is just so assinine.

[Pacifist Patriot]

35. What I find bizarre is that around here whenever I see a car...

with a W '04 sticker still on the bumper it is inevitably being driven by a senior citizen. How can they not know they are worse off under Bush?

[lumpy]

71. I am a senior citizen of 78, just so you know.

Don't know where you live. I live in a blue state fortunately and I am a lifelong Dem. I am priviledged to know many contemporaries who are of the same political persuasion and would spit in Bush's face given the opportunity. I don't inevitably see W'04 stickers on cars that are driven by senior citizens. I see cars with W'04 stickers driven by well groomed young women driving SUVs though. You must not assume that anyone over the age of 65 is senile. You might discover that by the time you reach that certain age you will have gained more sense then you could ever have dreamed of, assuming you keep up with what's going on in the world.

[JackintheGreen]

36. You mean a Bush plan DIDN'T work???

Oh


my


GOD!!!



You mean to say that *co is taking money away from those who need it to line the pockets of those who don't?

And YOU have the BALLS to complain about it???

You ungrateful turd! What if those were your pockets? If you had had the good sense to lead the life of accumulation, you un-American traitor, instead of...what?...helping people for god's sake. I mean WWJD. He threw the money-changers out of the temple because his cut wasn't big enough...so he took the whole pie! GOD BLESS YOU, JESUS BUSH!!!

uh...I mean "George Bush."

:sarcasm:

[JPZenger]

37. Medicare D Drug Prices many times higher than VA Prices

There was a good report on Al Franken's show a month ago. It compared the drug prices paid under Medicare Part D to the drug prices paid by the Veterans Administration. The VA was paying about 10% of the Medicare price. Why? Because the VA is allowed to negotiate with the drug companies. In comparison, the GOP Congress rejected Democratic efforts to allow the Federal Government to negotiate drug prices under Medicare Part D.

[civildisoBDence]

39. Oh, Canada!

To me, the real outrage is how DUHbya's administration has tried to prevent Americans from buying prescription drugs in Canada. I thought Republicans were for free enterprise...

My 76-year-old father has benefitted from the Bush plan, but for him it was a crap shoot deciding whether to enroll or not. He lucked out--apparently, others have crapped out.

The online news prism, from blue to red

[Monk06]

51. Oh Canada indeed. In Canada Paul Sauerland would be paying zero

dollars for his medications. That's zero
dollars and no co-pay.

What's more anyone in Canada earning less
than $24,000 per year is considered poor
and qualifies for full medical subsidy.

That means all medical treatment including
drugs is free. No premium payments, no limit
on doctors visits and you chose your own
physician.

The canard about waiting lists in Canada
on conservative boards is a myth only
people with non emergency medical conditons
have to wait.

[AbbyR]

41. I want to hear about this

My husband is dying on Medicare and the stupid part D. I will spend the rest of my life fighting for this. I want to hear every candidate for office who runs with "Democrat" after their name to be screaming at the top of his or her lungs about the donut hole, Medicare and the travesty we call medical care in this country.

It is time. Voting reform, universal USEFUL medical care, global warming and the blasted war are the issues I want Democrats to harp on every day, at every speech and photo op.

I am SO disgusted with the repukes and the dems alike. Does no one care that we are dying out here?

[McCamy Taylor]

43. I am on Medicare disabilty and I am paying $3000 more this year.

[McCamy Taylor]

44. The "Hole" is a Copayment designed to discourage use of the plan

except for absolute necessities. The government and private insureres hoped that people would choose to take only the cheapest generic meds that they absolutely had to take---saving them a bundle. I will bet that when the Insurance companies saw the sweet deal that pharmaceutical companies worked out (no collective bargaining) they threatened to boycott Medicare Drug altogether unless this was thrown in to save them money, too. Problem is that many drugs that are now essential for the treatment of cardiac, pulmonary, diabetic and other diaseses have no generic version. So patients can not insist on a generic equivalent of most of their drugs. And few meds are taken prn.

A patient who is taking 2 to 3 medications which do not have a generic equivalent can expect to run out of Medicare drug coverage in the summer. Medicare will never pick back up again unless that person goes on chemotherapy. The insurance companies did this on purpose. They are already writing new, special, "donut hole" policies for next year.

[intaglio]

50. I have never understood

Why the US objects to "Socialised Medicine".

Canada, the UK and most of the rest of the "First World" seem to run such services with no problems. I don't know about Canada but in the UK of you are under 16 or over 65 or need constant medication such as for diabetes or thyroid problems your the drug prescriptions are free. If you do not fall into one of the categories that receive free meds then you pay a flat rate of £6.75 ($10 - $11) for each item BUT if you can find a cheaper generic alternative that you can buy over the counter then you can do that.

[sarcasmo]

66. Welcome to D/U Intaglio. You can't make money with Socialized Medicine.

Corporate Amerika will never allow Socialized Medicine.

[Joe Bacon]

67. Don't forget, Harry and Louise will return to scare you

If any politician proposes national health insurance, Harry and Louise will be trotted out again to lie about it. Oh, no, we don't want a government bureaucrat to regulate health care, now, do we? We'd much rather have a unelected, unaccountable corporate bean counter ration health care.

America will NEVER have national health insurance. You're on your own.

[Raster]

57. You silly, silly people. The only group the new prescription drug plan

will benefit is the people that wrote it: big pharmacy. The bill was written, damned near lock, stock and barrel by the pharmacy lobby. It is SPECIFICALLY written in the bill that the government can't negotiate for better prices. SPECIFICALLY WRITTEN IN. Every other country that has any type of government-assisted or funded healthcarer system has the power to negotiate. Not the United States. And don't just thank bush*, thank every mealy-mouthed senator and representative that voted for this travesty.

The new motto for the United States government: Rape, plunder, pillage and kill.

[zbdent]

58. Yep, remember that nastiness and "complex system" that the Clintons

were going to subject the people to (you know, single-payer ...) with their health-care proposal ... which the health-care industry said would cause the citizens to go bankrupt ... (and they made their greatest profits)

Yup, good thing the Repukes saved the seniors from having the shame of actually being able to pay for their meds and still have some money left over to eat and pay their rent/mortgage ... Oh, and don't forget, they would bear the shame of actually being protected from losing everything due to all their protections by declaring bankruptcy due to health issues ...

:eyes::sarcasm:

[Omaha Steve]

59. POLL RESULTS You Voted: Medicare Drug Plan a Bust

http://blog.aflcio.org/2006/08/23/you-voted-medicare-drug-plan-a-bust/

Based on our quick poll yesterday, Bush’s Medicare drug plan gets a failing grade.

We asked, “What has your experience and those of people you know been with the new Medicare drug plan?”

A whopping 87.4 percent described their experiences as “bad.” Only 4.7 percent, less than one person in 20, said their experiences had been “good.” The remainder, 7.9 percent, selected “don’t know.”

Many seniors are going broke with the new Medicare drug plan because of the “doughnut hole,” which forces seniors and people on disability to pay nearly $3,000 in out-of-pocket costs for prescription drugs. An estimated 6.9 million Medicare enrollees could hit the doughnut hole.

Retirees such as Paul Sauerland and his wife will pay $4,500 for drugs he paid $3,000 for last year—before the Bush “reform.” In fact, he’ll spend $3,000 in the last six months of this year alone for prescription drugs.

Read more about Paul Sauerland here.

What do you and people you know think about the prescription drug plan?

Tell us at [e-mail].

[illinoisprogressive]

60. dognuts in insurance too

my husband's company switched insurance and guess what, they have a dognut hole too. When he called and inquired about why he is paying out of his check for insurance and having to pay full price for medical, too they replied that it was for the pleasure of having them for his insurance. what?
Welcome to Bushworld.
We so need a national health program.

[mkb]

65. Put Our Thinking Caps Back On

     Americans have had it relatively good for long enough
that they have gotten a bit lazy in the brain.  It's time to
put our thinking caps back on.
     The first concept that has to be established is that the
people with lots of money control the media.  They are not
going to voluntarily espouse, as a general rule, facts and
opinions that are impediments to their piling up as much money
as they can, at your or anyone else's expense.  The
explanations of economic principles that would benefit the
people as whole are not found the higher up on the corporate
media ladder you get.  This means you have to do much of the
work yourself.  So think and get facts and opinions in as
independent way as you can.
     My opinion is that we should be trying to maintain some
balance in economics, which is hard under any system,
certainly including capitalism.
     If you just look at the share of the pie, which is
finite, the upper portion of wealth holders has been
increasing their share significantly over at least the past
quarter century.  Why should people allow this to happen? 
Maybe many have been seduced by the prospect of being rich,
and forgotten the difficulties of life without stability. 
Becoming rich is not easy to do, now as much or more than
ever.  We have to prioritize the general good, emphasizing
middle-class progress as much as possible, I think.
     I have done research that seems to demonstrate that
purchasing power relative to wages for most of us has been
steadily declining for at least a quarter century.  This is a
systemic problem that must be addressed, preferably by reform
rather than revolution.
     In the meantime, we must educate ourselves, being aware
of the many dangers that the information gatherers of our
right-wing state put upon us, and not get sucked into
believing in expecting too much.  Progress can only come by
people being sound of mind, and building steadily, rather than
thinking happiness is easily achieved.

[kineneb]

73. thinking...and have a question...

Hubby has Part D, but his Medicare premiums are paid by Medi-Cal, as we are low-income and he is on dialysis. I suppose that Medi-Cal takes over again when we hit the "doughnut hole"? I have no clue. All I know is Medicare is picking up the bills for his care, which are running around $23K per month. I wish to thank the taxpayers who have contributed to the Medicare system. Sometimes it actually does work (but only if you are poor).

We certainly could not afford to pay for any of his medicines- we live on $1200 a month, with no savings, credit cards (we just finished going through Ch.7), or assets beyond what the state limits for Medi-Cal. Those were long ago spent down, waiting until he could get on SSDI.

Wish us luck...