Medicare Chief Wants Deadline to Be Kept

[deadparrot]

WASHINGTON - The nation's chief Medicare official said Tuesday the government should stick to the May 15 deadline for people to enroll for the new prescription drug benefit because it will force them to act.

"It's like most people don't do their Christmas shopping in September," Mark McClellan, administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, said in an interview with The Associated Press.

Lawmakers from both parties, particularly Democrats, have said there must be an extension because people are reluctant to make a choice about a program they're unsure will help them. If they don't enroll by the deadline, they could face a financial penalty that would increase their monthly premium.

As of mid-February, 5.5 million people had voluntarily enrolled in Medicare's prescription drug benefit. An additional 20 million people were automatically enrolled because they also qualify for Medicaid and other government programs or are covered through their employer.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060307/ap_on_go_ot/mcclellan_interview

[Tanuki]

1. He is Scott McClellan's brother

no wonder...being an unscrupulous b*stard mouthpiece for the B*sh administration seems to run in the family.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_McClellan

[rodeodance]

3. what a jerk

..."It's like most people don't do their Christmas shopping in September," Mark McClellan, administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, said in an interview with The Associated Press.

[AValdoux]

2. Christmas shoppping in September?

I guess this shows just how compassionate Puffy McMoonface's brother is. For the elderly, prescriptions are a little more important that what to buy the grandkids for Christmas. With all the horror stories coming out about the new program do you blame them.

AValdoux

[salin]

4. I know people who HAVE coverage...

but fear that the company will arbitrarily drop the coverage sometime in the future - and feel that they *must* enroll by the May date or face a lifetime of penalties.

[jwirr]

5. I have been trying to enroll but they will not let me. They made

an error when they enrolled me into social security and have just found it. Now they are trying to place me on medicare back to November 2005 but for some reason it is not working. When I call the Medicare Drug program my number does not work. In the mean time the state has cut drugs from my medicaid program. As of tomorrow I am a diabetic without insurance. What makes me so mad is that these so-called business men running our government can't even write a workable program. No wonder bushit has gone broke every time he tried anything. IDIOT.