More Medicare Part D Woes

Remember all the confusion surrounding the Medicare prescription drug coverage (Part D) enrollment for 2006? The 2007 enrollment period, which begins on 15 November, appears to have new problems of its own:

“The cheapest drug insurance policies under Medicare will cost elderly and disabled Americans 44 percent more next year, based on rate quotes published by the government health program,” writes Kerry Young at Bloomberg.com.

When the Department of Health and Human Services and Medicare released next year’s prices on 29 September, they said the average premium would remain unchanged at about $24.00 per month. An analysis by the office of California Rep. Henry Waxman says otherwise:

“’The department’s numbers appear to be wrong, and they disguise significant increase in premiums for Medicare drug plans,’ Waxman said in a letter to HHS Secretary Michael Leavitt. ‘The release of erroneous information about the cost of premiums – whether deliberate or not – is a disservice to millions of seniors.’”

Bloomberg.com, 13 October 2006

Mark McLellan, the administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services disagrees, saying the congressman’s analysis is “incomplete and misleading.”

But according to the Bloomberg.com story,

“The minimum prices will more than double in 13 states. People in seven more states and the District of Columbia also will pay more than double next year if they stick with their current plans.”

Obviously, confusion reigns. When I checked the price of my plan for next year at medicare.gov, there were three different plans from the insurer I am currently enrolled with. None of the premiums match what I am currently paying, and nowhere on the papers I have from the insurer is there the number designation of my plan. So without a telephone call to the insurer, I have no way to know what my premium will be next year.

According to this report from the California Health Advocates and Medicare Rights Center, the quality of information consumers receive from telephone call centers ranges from good to baffling to wrong.

It is a good idea to start early to review your Part D coverage and probably plan to spend some good amount of time on hold if you have questions. Even then, it may be difficult to asses if the information you are given is correct.

This is no way to run a medical plan. The next Congress must address a single-payer (universal coverage) health plan for the United States. Keep that in mind when you vote on 7 November.

Comments

[Rain]

I had read that about the prescription drug plan too and felt like you did about it-- ack! It is what happens when you have people who don't believe in something, supposedly trying to implement it. I hope they straighten it out before I get there as the whole thing looked like even signing up would be very frustrating determining what was best. It should not have to be that way.

I am still fuming over the price I have to pay for certain prescriptions using regular insurance but with a high co-pay because supposedly there is an over the counter (only there is not) which is equal to it. In this case, Zyrtec. I could buy it online in Canada for a fraction of the price here-- without insurance, but that's illegal. Now who does that benefit? grrrrrrrr

[Maya's Granny]

I remember when they passed this thing, how awful it seemed to be. And now, that is proved to be true.

I'm due next year and I don't want to. I just don't want to. I don't think there is any choice except take it or leave it, but I don't want to.

[Chancy]

No way to run a railroad and certainly no way to run a Medicare Prescription drug plan.

Throw the bums out...

[Darlene]

The only ray of light I can see in this whole mess is that it is so bad the lethargic public will rise up in anger and force the politicians to take a long look at a universal health plan. It will take a strong leader to start the rebellion and to keep the momentum up, but that will be the only way to get something done. There is some talk about copying the wonderful plan that our Representatives have. Even so, their premiums are $300 a month (picked up by the tax payers, of course). We have to make the pharmaceutical industry and the insurance companies give up their stranglehold on Foggy Bottom. Note to Rain: It may be illegal to get your meds from Canada, but lots of people are doing it. I guess our dear government is confiscating some of the shipments, but more are getting through. Maybe buying from Canada should be considered a form of civil disobedience and another way to get the attention of the politicians.

[Ronni Bennett]

Actually, the government has stopped confiscating drugs from Canada. You can read about it here.

[Tabby]

Elections are held in November because it's the best time for picking out a turkey.

[~ Sil in Corea]

I work in South Korea. We pay seven percent of salary for medical insurance. The co-pay is $3 U.S. for a doctor's office call. Medication runs around $5 per week for the best grade of antibiotics, and so forth and so on...

If South Korea can do it, America can do it. It's very simple; just send a bunch of congresspeople over here on a junket, and have them look at the set-up.

Most of the doctors have studied in the USA or Great Britain, and, in my experience, they are Very Good.