Week after week I keep looking for news that the
Medicare Part D prescription drug program is getting
better, and the push for home-based nursing care instead
of nursing home placement is improving.
But I'm consistently disappointed.
My father-in-law gets all of his medications from
Canada. He's been following the stories and researching
what cost benefit he'd receive if he enrolled in
Medicare's drug program. His diligence proved that he
would pay up to 40 percent more for his medications, and
he wouldn't be able to get all of them.
Most of his friends are doing the same thing - buying
in Canada to keep within their limited budgets.
Last month he received a letter stating he was
automatically enrolled in a health plan without his
permission. He's writing letters to remove himself from
this forced enrollment before it takes effect on May 15.
He's one of the many who spend enormous amounts of time
fighting for medical rights.
Unfortunately, most Medicare patients don't have the
time or skills to fight the good fight. A New York
newspaper tells of Eddie Rosa, who died because he
couldn't afford the now-mandatory prescription drug
payments for the 23 medications he was to take daily.
Until Jan. 1, Rosa got his drugs for free, because he
was "dual eligible" - poor enough for Medicaid
and disabled enough for Medicare. Medicare Part D is
designed to help seniors pay for prescriptions, but dual
eligibles now have to pay a little bit more for theirs -
$1 to $3 co-pay per prescription. Rosa would owe about
$30 a month in co-pays.
Rosa didn't get his medications. Instead, he got
sick, was hospitalized and died. Did Medicare's red tape
play a part in his death? No one is asking - yet.
The Miami Herald reports a young man is vowing to
disconnect his breathing machine if Florida's Medicaid
program forces him into a nursing home. He's been
fighting for in-home nursing care, which is half the
cost of nursing home care. Florida says it hasn't the
cash to pay for in-home nursing but is happy to pay
double for institutionalized care.
These stories number in the hundreds but rarely make
the newspapers. Living by the decisions of state and
federal governments is scary business. The only way to
fight for medical rights is to become a pest, writing
letter after letter and making phone call after phone
call.
The "golden years" of retirement are
supposed to be filled with reaping the benefits of a
life of hard work. Becoming disabled shouldn't be the
end of a person's civil rights.
The outrage is palpable in the elderly and disabled
population. So the question is: Why are the media
ignoring it?
McKee, a wheelchair user, is a freelance writer
and producer. You can e-mail her at: chairgrrl@chairgrrl.com
