I don’t necessarily complain about the increase, but I have a huge problem with what can be purchased with these benefits.
Medicare beneficiaries now get a $50/quarter account to purchase approved supplements, medicines, wound care items, etc., aka OTC. These are clearly marked as such in Walgreens (and I’m sure other places), and Amazon now has OTC approved items.
So the process is established. Just implement the same with SNAP/EBT cards. Limit eligible items to real food items. Or exclude non-real food items.
Americans eat like shit. There is no cogent argument otherwise. We can prevent a LOT of expensive, deadly diseases and conditions by getting people to eat right. And the lower the income, on balance, the worse people eat.
“Medicare beneficiaries now get a $50/quarter account to purchase approved supplements, medicines, wound care items, etc., aka OTC”
That’s a feature of certain Part C plans, not a part of standard Medicare.