Usually it feels good to be right, but sometimes it's
painful, too.
For the last three years I've written a dozen
articles about the Medicare Part D drug program and why
it would be a nightmare for Medicare recipients who
participate. As I looked over the articles I've written,
I haven't found one prediction or opinion disproved.
Even more depressing are the new problems that emerge
weekly with this program, which was passed by the Bush
administration and the GOP using fear tactics, such as:
If you don't stand behind it now, you'll never get a
drug plan.
The strong-arm tactics of the GOP worked beautifully.
The AARP was bamboozled into supporting the bill,
ignoring all the evidence that the benefits were far
from being comprehensive or complete. It was clear this
program would be filled with loopholes, double-talk and
hidden costs providing pharmaceutical companies a
monetary windfall.
The drug companies applauded with greed when the Part
D program was passed. The program forbids negotiating
prices, giving the drug companies free rein to raise
prices. The low-income elderly and disabled people
automatically enrolled in Medicaid are the icing on the
cake: Medicaid pays 25 to 30 percent less for their
drugs.
Name-brand medications are being denied in favor of
generics, which can be less effective and have hidden
side effects. Generic doesn't always mean identical - it
just means the makers claim the generic form is just as
good. They neglect to say that the processes of making
the name brand versus the generic can, and usually is,
quite different. The difference between name brand
"Crisco" versus generic shortening exemplifies
my problem with generic drugs: The same ingredients are
used, but the quality and the processing of the
ingredients makes a difference in the product's
performance.
Not only is the quality of medications in question
but also the higher co-pays Medicare recipients have to
shell out. The higher co-pays will quickly force many to
reach the doughnut hole - the dollar amount at which
Part D requires them to pay for the drugs in full, until
they reach next coverage level, which pays 95 percent of
the cost. If this price-gouging is allowed to go
unchecked, many clients will not be able to afford
medication until the next fiscal year.
I'm appalled at the devastating impact this
entitlement program has had on the current
beneficiaries, their families and the doctors and
pharmacies who have to explain this so called
"entitlement" to participants.
I hate to see people who have worked, suffered
lifelong injuries and still kept their faith in
government treated as cash cows for soulless
corporations.
The future generations will be paying for this joke
of a benefit for years to come.
McKee, a wheelchair user, is a freelance writer
and producer. You can e-mail her at chairgrrl@chairgrrl.com.
