Survey Refutes Criticism Of Medicare Drug Plan

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/03/13/AR2006031300983.html ^

[truthfinder9]

In Case You Missed It: Survey Refutes Criticism Of Medicare Drug Plan

From The Washington Post By Bill Brubaker March 13, 2006

A majority of senior citizens in a recent poll say they had no trouble using -- or signing up for -- the controversial 10-week-old Medicare prescription drug plan, health insurance officials said today.

The survey of more than 800 seniors differs from assertions by politicians and health and senior citizen advocacy groups that many Medicare enrollees have had difficulty choosing a drug plan from among the dozens that are being offered.

"The data are very encouraging," Karen Ignagni, chief executive of America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP), the trade group that commissioned the survey, said at an afternoon briefing in Washington. " . . . What seniors are saying is this program is working for them. It's making a difference." ...

The voluntary drug plan, conceived by the Bush administration and approved by Congress in 2003, offers Medicare enrollees a prescription drug benefit for the first time. The drug plans are directed by the government's Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, which, in turn, contracts with private insurers -- AHIP members such as UnitedHealth Group -- to provide the benefits. ...

The AHIP survey -- taken from March 6-11 -- shows that eight out of 10 seniors who enrolled themselves in the drug plan experienced no problems using the new benefit.

According to AHIP, three out of five seniors reported they have saved money under the plan, compared to their previous costs, and four out of five said the plans they chose covered the drugs that they needed.

"When you get out of Washington and listen to seniors, you learn that seniors are saving and that the vast majority are not experiencing problems," Ignagni said. ...

[PhiKapMom]

My Mom signed up and has had no problems. In fact, Walgreen's Pharmacy has all kind of info for anyone not knowing which plan to choose and their pharmicist will sit down and discuss the plan best suited for the senior. My Mom didn't need that but they helped several people at her senior complex. None of them had trouble signing up or choosing after getting the facts which were easy to come by.

More of the same crap from the Dims and the media -- making a mountain out of a molehill! :)

[Wolfie]

Easy or difficult to use, its a fiscal disaster.

[Gipper08]

This welfare program is the biggest mistake in the history of the Republican Party.It should be rolled back immediately.

[cchandler]

I wonder where they buried this news....A 21?

[truthfinder9]

It may be a mistake, but look at it this way: The Democrats have claimed to be champions of senior citizens for decades, yet they did nothing for them. The Republicans did. So it's going to be hard for the Democrats to roll out the "republicans are trying to kill seniors" this year.

[Wolfie]

Great. More politics. And a bankrupt nation. A win's a win, I guess.

[Gipper08]

I do not sugar coat SOCIALism,and I could care less about what the Democrats do.Conservatism wins.

[JoeFromSidney]

All I can say is, my former employer had a better plan than the new Medicare Part D. However, I was involuntarily dumped into Part D. I feared this was going to happen once Bush's plan was passed. I doubt I'm alone. Probably lots of retirees are finding the same thing happening to them.