Confusion greets drug-plan sign-up; Legislators, consumer groups balk at Medicare Part D

MarketWatch.com (by Dow Jones) ^ | 11/15/2005 | Kristen Gerencher

[SierraWasp]

Note the line-up of Demonicrat bawl-babies bawling that Bush and those awful Republicans have just made it too hard and made weeping and wailing victims out of the nations senior citizens!

Pure unadulterated partisan caterwallering!!!

[goldstategop]

Its just too darned to choose a private plan, huh? The Democrats solution is a simple: let a bureaucrat pick the plan for them.

(Denny Crane: "I Don't Want To Socialize With A Pinko Liberal Democrat Commie.Say What You Like About Republicans. We Stick To Our Convictions. Even When We Know We're Dead Wrong.")

[clee1]

ROFLOL!!!!

The gooberment can't even give away our money without making too complicated for the greedy geezer set. Gotta love it!

[There You Go Again]

They have six months to sign up....and that isn't enough time??? Oh brother.......

[DoughtyOne]

The new Medicare Part D coverage is causing shock waves throughout the manufacturer, wholesaler, provider and patient community. Good luck.

[SierraWasp]

I just pinged Extremely Extreme Extremist over on the Social Security Being Laid To Rest thread, who just pinged you there and lo and behold, you're over here, pingin me!!!

I reminds me of the time Rush Limbaugh was on Letterman's show and Rush was trying to pursuade Dave of the importance of good citizenship through conservatism.

"It's too hard, Rush!" Letterman protested in a whiney voice...

[TomGuy]

No. Actually, it is a convoluted mess.

Instead of a simplified copy of the VA drug program, which has been in existence for years, thus tested and proved, the Medicare Prescription program is a complex mesh of if's and but's and exceptions and conditions.

It is difficult to understand. And the dozen or so various prescription insurance plans vary in premiums, coverage, deductions, exceptions and exemptions.

The Prescription Drug program could compete with the IRS for the most convoluted confusing government documentation.

[SierraWasp]

Who are you extending wishes of "Good luck," to? Me? Seniors? Everyone? Volvo drivers from the 70's?

[DoughtyOne]

Take your pick...

[Kay]

Benefit D is an unmitigated disaster. They should repeal the whole program and save those trillions of dollars. It is a total TOTAL MESS!!! Good luck to average citizens. Pharmacists & doctors can't make heads or tails out of it.

[SierraWasp]

So you think "One Size Fits All" is a better way to go???

Do you like single payer federal health insurance as well, for the same reason???

[SierraWasp]

Oh, you know I'll pick Volvoid drivers from the 70's whenever given a choice! They are so stuck in the 60's!!!

You know, back in the decade when we gave our seniors their socialized medicine in America without any prescription protection because nobody needed it then...

[DoughtyOne]

I do not approve of this government program. Projected to cost around half a trillion dollars over the first few years, it's my projection that it will have cost us two or three trillion by 2010.

[SierraWasp]

Why! You sound just like Dr. Durbin who wears a turbin in the US Senate!!! Do you have any idea how many feelings you are hurting here in FR??? Our faultless father who art in Washington signed this what you are calling "an unmitigated disaster!"

Do you have your asbestos underwear on yet??? (grin)

[Kay]

Actually, the complicated, tangled mess may protect us from such high costs. I certainly am not signing up any seniors in my family. There might be a method to this madness.

[dalereed]

What tickes me off is that if you don't sign up for a plan the penalty is 1%/mo add on forever if you ever sign up at a later date.

Since neither my wife or I take any kind of drugs we are still forced to sign up for and pay for a plan.

[TomGuy]

So you think "One Size Fits All" is a better way to go???

What?

You obviously have little knowledge of what the Pill Bill actually contains or what the provisions are. Try reading some of it --- 700 pages worth.

The program wastes massive amounts of money in set up costs, paying insurance companies to provide Prescription Drug cards (that was a big boondoggle disaster, too), etc. Had those wastes been applied to actually providing drugs to seniors, they could have paid for the first 5 years of the program.

[Kay]

Let them try to work with it. They will see.

And I love George Bush and pray for him several times per day!

[Gunslingr3]

Schakowsky and Marion Berry, D-Ark., also introduced H.R. 752, the Medicare Prescription Drugs Saving and Choice Act, which would provide the drug benefit within Medicare instead of through private insurers and require the program to negotiate prices with drug companies to hold costs down.

Which means price controls and government rationing of the consequent shortages.

[DoughtyOne]

They get you one way or another don't they.