NYT: Bush Begins Campaign to Publicize Medicare Drug Benefit

[seafan]

WASHINGTON, June 16 - President Bush opened a nationwide campaign on Thursday to publicize the value of Medicare's new drug benefit, and he urged everyone on Medicare to sign up for it.

"We're on a massive education effort, starting today, and I am asking for America's help," Mr. Bush told a rally at the Department of Health and Human Services. Of the drug benefit, which begins Jan. 1, he said, "This is a good deal, and people need to take advantage of it."

The administration sharply scaled back its estimate of the number of people who would participate in the new program, which Mr. Bush described as "the greatest advance in health care for seniors since the founding of Medicare" in 1965.

---snip

President Bush said the new law offered "savings and peace of mind" to everyone on Medicare.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/17/politics/17bush.html



Carol T. Powers for The New York Times

[buff2]

1. That son-of-a-bitch

He'll be kissing up to the American people now that his phoney christian ass is on the line. I hate that bastard.

[Frances]

2. The best I can tell is that you have to have no assets

and almost no monthly income to qualify for the program.

[femmecahors]

6. that will soon be most of us . . .

when Bush is through with us.

[buff2]

20. And how many of those people even pay attention to politics

and what is going on? I was talking to a woman in the grocery store the other day and she was complaining about all the benefits she will be losing in medicaid next Jan....so I started talking to her about what bu$h is doing and about the DSM. She never even heard of the DSM and didn't have a clue as to what is going on except her dental bills wasn't going to get paid. There are far too many ignorant people out there....ignorant of the facts of what is really going on. All they are trying to do is survive. I'll bet that woman doesn't even vote. Those are the people who should be going to the polls.If they would have gotten to the polls and voted,this asswipe in the WH would be holding barbecues and trimming brush at his Crawford Texas home. :grr:

[Lori Price CLG]

3. That's 'Bush begins propaganda campaign' (w. our tax dollars) n/t

[rodeodance]

9. goood one----right on

[Doctor_J]

4. Another multi-million tax dollar bullshit tour

Hopefully it will be as successful as his SS boondoggle

[newswolf56]

5. Based on the information from my health care co-op...

...Bush Medicare is a huge ripoff: its premiums will nearly double my annual drug expenses, and it is mandatory -- you get fined one percent of your pension per month if you refuse to enroll.

Like the BushCo Social Security scam, its bottom-line purpose is to turn a social service into windfall profits for the plutocracy.

[GoldenOldie]

7. It doesn't take a genius to discover that this is the biggest ripoff of

the elders.

If you take the monthly costs of drugs for the average elderly person.....from the lowest $300.00 to the highest $800.00, it would not take many months to use up the Bush plan and then the elderly will be left having to pay or go without and in the majority of cases that would be "without." The parmaceutical corporations are now even recommending that the seniors split their pills to reduce the costs.....so much for the US having the best health care in the world.


The only ones benefitting from the Bush program are the pharmaceutical companies and the drug card companies.

This pissant of a POTUS could care less about the elderly and their health but then again he could care less about any Americans be the military, children, or seniors.

[lumpy]

11. I know of no medicare recipients

who are signing up for this farcical plan. My pharmacist agrees that it is a sham.

[anitar1]

12. Talked with my pharmacist yesterday

and she said it is a sham. She is very concerned about her elderly clients and says * is dismantling the country by the day. This is a small, friendly, neighborhood pharmacy with personal service and home delivery.

[Iowa]

13. Yep...

My parents looked into it and they say it's a joke. Their pharmicist agreed. What a scam!

[July]

17. I think the fines are for signing up after the initial sign-up period.

Not sure it's mandatory. But don't quote me.

[wishlist]

19. Mandatory fines for people who don't enroll soon enough (1% per month)

The Medicare late enrollment penalties are a huge bureaucratic boondoggle and ripoff, and in many cases people who should be exempt from the penalties due to previously being on a company policy that ended have been mistakenly charged the late enrollment fines anyway raising their premiums sky high permanently.

I have friends who work for Social Security Administration and have undergone training in the new program. They tell me that the Medicare prescription plan will help very few people because of the restrictions and high premiums charged.

Even low income people at poverty level who have been on Medicaid getting their medicines for a low $5 per month copay will be automatically switched whether they like it or not to the Medicare plan and have to pay more for their medicines than they did before under Medicaid.

[July]

23. Fines are mandatory if you do sign up late, correct?

But, it is not mandatory to sign up, as I understand it.

[The_Casual_Observer]

8. If he is stumping it, it's a shitty deal guaranteed.

So far the guy is batting 2000 when it comes to shoving a hot poker up the asses of the common man.

[Erika]

10. It will end up costing more to many

Why doesn't this guy just go ride bikes and choke on pretzels?

[Enraged_Ape]

14. The Medicare drug benefit is a sad, sick joke and seniors know it

And what's more, they're pissed off about it.

Don't believe me? Ask one.

I'm really starting to believe that Bush has had it. "Is that all you got, George?"

[deacon]

15. This powder puff of a president thinks everyone lives in his fantasyland

n/t

[ChrisK]

16. Why do I have this feeling Bush hates the elderly?

I half expect to see a headline that says "Bush offers Seniors free ride to Sun"..."If Florida's not hot enough I have just the thing"


Just because he hates mom and dad doesn't mean ALL Seniors have to feel his wrath.

[salin]

18. It has finally happened

their hubris is leading them to do really, really stupid things.

Polls say public is against just about everything bush is doing - and against him.

Trot out a "win" and move things upward and hope it shifts the public sentiment that can help regain momentum to push more of their disturbingly anti US citizen policies...

BUT - this one was technically a win (remember that odd house vote - attempted bribe and all?) BUT it wasn't a win with much of the public.

a) conservatives didn't like the new entitlement
b) liberals didn't like the odd provisions that rewarded corps at citizens expense (two examples: Govt can't bargain with corps to get lower/bulk rates ... and removed provision that gave corps tax break IF they continued retirement health coverage (eg to lower govt expense) so that corps got the break whether or not they dropped retirement health insurance/benefits)
c) many potential recipients found it confusing - and not much help.

To push this - will reenvoke all the negatives that in the end came/come with it. So the push for the positive - very well likely may drive him/them even MORE negative. And they have noone to thank but themselves and the lobbyists who write their legislation.

[cthrumatrix]

21. he's past the point of caring --- he's a puppet and he's history

[seafan]

22. More about the "educational" tour and propaganda we can look forward to:

From the NYT article:

--snip

Federal officials said they were planning a huge campaign to inform people of the new benefit. "We will reach people where they work, live, play and pray," said Dr. Mark B. McClellan, administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. (Scott's brother..)

Dr. McClellan said that low-income families, in particular, were "a very hard population to reach" and noted that enrollment in social welfare programs often began slowly.


--snip

The government, working with health care groups and consumer organizations, will disseminate general information about the new benefit through the summer. In October, beneficiaries will receive detailed information about the drug plans available to them. They can sign up from Nov. 15 of this year to May 15, 2006.

--snip

The government is offering different messages tailored to the needs of different groups of beneficiaries: 5 million people in health maintenance organizations and other private plans; 11 million retirees who receive drug coverage from former employers; 6 million people entitled to Medicare and Medicaid; 7 million low-income people who are not on Medicaid; 12 million people in the traditional fee-for-service Medicare program who are not eligible for low-income subsidies.

So, get ready for more prepackaged, prepaid propaganda ala Armstrong Williamsesque.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/17/politics/17bush.html?pagewanted=print


Everything about this administration is an abomination. It's time for them to go.

[apollo56]

24. The Chimps Lies Again

I am on Medicare and have a prescription drug program with our state but I received a letter last week stating that on Jan 1 my cost for drugs will have a higher co pay and the poor will be in a fix because the feds are going to count the drug benefits as income and if you receive food stamps or help in other low income programs will change. It will affect food stamps, Section 8 Housing to food. It will mean a huge number of people will now be above the poverty level and lose benefits. Nothing was ever said about this problem! Bush is pure evil and kills more people than Saddam ever did thru his programs!!!!

[halobeam]

26. pretty disgusting

My husband is disabled and on medicare. It has a cap that he will exceed EVERY month. His meds are over three THOUSAND dollars a month. It leaves us about 2400 a month in a hole. And it's going to get worse? Tell me when I will get my next energy boost to give a shit anymore, really. Sorry, but I've reached my limit.

[seafan]

27. Welcome to DU, apollo56! I totally agree that everything this

criminal administration does is with their own greed in mind.

America has had enough.

[killbotfactory]

25. FAILURE

You can smell it on him.