Success of Drug Plan Challenges Democrats

[cal04]

Medicare Benefit's Cost Beat Estimates
It sounded simple enough on the campaign trail: Free the government to negotiate lower drug prices and use the savings to plug a big gap in Medicare's new prescription-drug benefit. But as Democrats prepare to take control of Congress, they are struggling to keep that promise without wrecking a program that has proven cheaper and more popular than anyone imagined.

House Democrats have vowed to act quickly after taking power in January to lift a ban on Medicare negotiations with drugmakers, which they hope will save as much as $190 billion over a decade. But House leaders have yet to settle on a strategy and acknowledge that negotiation is, in any case, unlikely to generate sufficient savings to fill the "doughnut hole," the much-criticized gap in coverage that forces millions of seniors to pay 100 percent of drug costs for a few weeks or months each year.

Drug-company lobbyists, Bush administration officials and many congressional Republicans are preparing to block any effort to increase federal control over drug prices, saying the Medicare benefit is working well. They contend that instead of saving money, government negotiations could raise drug prices for all consumers while limiting choices for people on Medicare.

(snip)
W.J. "Billy" Tauzin, president of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, said the drug lobby will "aggressively defend" the current plan. But John C. Rother, policy director for AARP, the powerful lobby for elderly Americans, said he has no doubt that the next Congress will give government some role in negotiating Medicare drug prices.

"This is an idea that's favored by 90 percent of the American public," Rother said. "It's not like you have to convince the American public that this is a good idea."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/25/AR2006112500919.html

[Monkeyman]

1. There is a Plan the Democrats said once before its the VA

[liberaldemocrat7]

15. The Republicans still LIE about the satisfaction with this program.

The only people who like his program already HAD full prescription drug coverage before the Republicans foisted this junk on the public. The gave these MEDICAID beneficiaries the benefits they had in MEDICAID but actually charged them a little more but they did not get a means test nor a big $250 a year deductible or a coverage gap from $2500 to $5000 but they did get a co payment as I recall.

You see, the Republicans hijacked 20 million Medicaid beneficiaries who already had prescription drug coverage and they put them in this program to hide the fact that

Existing MEDICARE beneficiaries did not have prescription drug coverage and they have incomes over 15,000 dollars a year and with the means test the Republicans put in, that these MEDICARE benficiaries would not get the full drug coverage that the former MEDICAID beneficiaries would get.

NO, the MEDICARE beneficiaries have to pay 35 dollars a month premiums, 250 dollar annual deductibles which means before any drug coverage gets paid, these people have to pay $635 out of pocket. Then they get 75 percent of medication covered but if they either only need $635 a year for drugs or less this program does not help them or if they need more than $2500 dollars they begin to have to pay for the full amount of medication. By the way, the discounted cost of the drugs does not determine when you hit the coverage gap but the full cost of the drug determines cumulative when you hit the coverage gap beginning at $2500.

I did the math. If you need more than $2500 dollars of medication you will eventually get only 20 percent back on the money you pay out of pocket.

WELL BUNKIES this 20 percent discount appears nothing more than those meager drug discount cards the drug companies gave out in the late 1990's.

Take the benefit away from the insurance companies and put it back in Part B cover 80 percent of medication and do not charge any extra premium or deductible as people already pay 78 dollars premium and 120 dollars annual deductible. Oh and the congress better remove the new part B means test that the Republicans snuck into part B in the Medicare law of 2003. Also get rid of the late sign up penalty.


As I said the Republicans lied about the satisfaction with this program. Millions of people did not sign up for Medicare part D and millions only did because the Republicans put a mean spirited late sign up penalty in the program of 1 percent per month that people refused to sign up.


This benefit stinks for those who never had it before. MEDICAID beneficiaries got hijacked by the Republicans to confuse the issue of compassion and satisfaction with the program.

Make the benefit a federal benefit.

That witch Nancy Johnson of Connecticut helped design this junk prescription drug discount. The Democrat who ran against her won and he campaigned on the fact that Nancy Johnson helped design this junk program. The people in that witch's district did not get fooled into believing that this benefit did any good for existing MEDICARE beneficiaries.





( YOU MAY USE THIS TEXT TO DEBUNK THE LIES OF RIGHT WING LIARS )

[bigluckyfeet]

2. This is the First Time

I have ever heard the plan was working well...spin spin spin.

[Trajan]

3. Oh POO on the theives ....

A BIG poo on them ....

[jumpoffdaplanet]

4. bullshit

And the washington post saying so is all the evidence needed to know it's bullshit

The Dems will fix the plan, and that scares the rethugs and the drug companies shitless.

[G_Leo_Criley]

5. Why is the cost of Medicare D doubling....

if everything is so wonderful?

A family member gets Medicare D (via Humana) and the monthly premium is doubling this coming year. I've checked around and it appears that all plans are just about doubling in cost.

Heckuva job druggies.

glc

[G_Leo_Criley]

6. k&r

:kick:

[dae]

7. Billy "Turncoat" Tauzin sold his soul to Big Pharma well

before leaving Congress. Now he's just another whore doin' his job!

[ToolTex]

Bullshit! Indeed this is Bullshit. My plan premium went up over 50% this year.

And my meds cost almost 100% more than they cost retail without any plan. What a ripoff the Rethugs gave us. Screw them and the big pharm horses that ride them, (raw I hope)!

[papau]

8. Louisiana District 3 Former GOP corrupt Congressman Billy Tauzin is Quoted by the WashPost??

Looks like the media is not waiting for the new congress before they start doing the tasks given them by the right wing GOP -

To equate Tauzin - now a lobbyist with the fancy title of president of something that bills for his lobbying fees - with a truth teller about anything just shows how low the Washington Post has sunk.

[bluestateguy]

9. My father didn't sign up for it

He said it was way too confusing, and that he would not save anything anyway.

The Congress should give the government the power to negotiate drug price. If the Bush team refuses to negotiate, then they can explain that to the American people.

Oh, and if need be, the House should do whatever it takes to muster the votes, including keeping the vote open 3 hours late. Payback is a real bitch.

[OzarkDem]

10. What spin

Medicare Part D has been a huge disaster and its growing worse. Costs to those who signed up for it are growing, the donut hole is incredibly expensive and the plan itself has cost millions more than forecast - because of the high price the govt. can't negotiate.

I guess these folks think the bigger the lie, the more likely people are to believe it.

[bananas]

11. Am I reading this right?

Isn't this what the Republicans were dead-set against:

But John C. Rother, policy director for AARP, the powerful lobby for elderly Americans, said he has no doubt that the next Congress will give government some role in negotiating Medicare drug prices.

"This is an idea that's favored by 90 percent of the American public," Rother said. "It's not like you have to convince the American public that this is a good idea."

How does this make the bushit Medicare Part D a success when 90 percent of Americans disagree with it?

[nosmokes]

12. the only success of the current drug plan is big pharma.

while it is true that most medicare recipients saved some money since the vast majority had no coverage at all before, it is also true that a vast number of us hit the *donut hole* and ended up having to pay anywhere from hundreds to thousands of dollars out of pocket until we hit the ceiling in costs or the end of the year. and if there was a way to factor in the bothersomeness cost to pharmacists, pharmacits asst's, family members, senior volunteers, nurses, insurance agents and anyone who interacts with seniors on even a casual basis had to researchand learn far more about part D than they ever wanted to know, and even then you weren't sure you were making the best choice. if there was ever an example of congreassional corruption and toadying to an industry it was/is this drug program and the way it was shoved through congress in the middle of the night. no entity but the US congress could have come up with something as unwieldy and unworkable and presented it with a straight face as a solution.

[Dastard Stepchild]

13. Oh facts, you always get in the way...

of statements of convenience. 90% favor the drug plan? Erm, nope.

http://www.pollingreport.com/health5.htm

[Selatius]

14. Of course, the AARP is against America.

We all know Big PhRMA is a heroic defender of the sick's access to affordable medicine.

:sarcasm:

[liberaldemocrat7]

16. AARP stinks too.

John Rother, a Republican, worked for the late Senator John Heinz Republican of Pennsylvania and William Novelli a Republican who heavily advertised against the Clinton Health care plan.

AARP profits on the meager Part D plan by the way. Do not join AARP. In fact quit AARP and join the ARA at www.retiredamericans.org they align themselves with the AFLCIO.

Take the benefit away from ths insurance companies and put it into Medicare part B and cover it like a doctors visit gets covered at 80 percent.

[SoCalDem]

17. and the punch line is?? "How many is a Brazillion"

The plan in effect now is so damned convoluted most people cannot figure it out, and I fear that lots of elderly may have quit taking their meds altogether when they find out the spun the wheel and came up with "lose a turn"..

or when they get to taste the donut hole..

or when they find out that their most important medicine was "dropped" from the plan they chose

or when they find out that the "benevolent care program" from the pharma company is now dismantled since "technically" everyone now has "coverage"

or when the rest of the public realizes that this giganto-program is going to cost 3-4 times what Bush said it would.

It was just a ploy to get bush reelected in '04.
anyone who thinks that republicans care about poor old people getting medicine is dreaming...

[Union Thug]

18. It's working out so well that my dad has to drive to canada to get his meds.

Thanks a lot guys. Republicans love the fetus, but hate everyone in every stage of life following birth.

[AzDar]

19. All this spin makes one dizzy...... wonder if there's a prescription for that ?

n/t

[MiniMe]

20. Success for whom? The seniors or the BFEE?

How many seniors that are in the "donut hole" think this is successful?