New Medicare Bill Bars Extra Insurance for Drugs

[Snellius]

WASHINGTON, Dec. 6 — Medicare beneficiaries will not be allowed to buy insurance to cover their share of prescription drug costs under the new Medicare bill to be signed on Monday by President Bush, the legislation says.

Millions of Medicare beneficiaries have bought private insurance to fill gaps in Medicare. But a little-noticed provision of the legislation prohibits the sale of any Medigap policy that would help pay drug costs after Jan. 1, 2006, when the new Medicare drug benefit becomes available.

This is one of many surprises awaiting beneficiaries, who will find big gaps in the drug benefit and might want private insurance to plug the holes — just as they buy insurance to supplement Medicare coverage of doctors' services and hospital care.

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/12/07/politics/07MEDI.html?hp

[La_Serpiente]

1. Oh boy

seniors sure are going to be pissed.

[tabasco]

15. I'm pissed !

But I'm not a senior. The fact that these bastards care more about the drug companies than our mothers and fathers is enough to make me furious!

[loudnclear]

44. And wait until you find out how the Feds subsidize drug research already

and how much the taxpayer pays for those "research costs" that the drug companies are merely "recouping" for the research expense they had to put out to develop drugs....NOT!! The drug companies have it all ways" they get Federal funds for research and development, Fed. funds for clinical trials, Fed funds and support for patent protections to ensure they can keep drug costs high for at leaset 17 years, they get Fed support for licensing fees, they received Congressional support for preventing price controls on drugs essentially developed with Fed funds, and they now have the FDA approving drugs faster without proper concern for safety. Boy, isn't capitalism just grand?

[dusty64]

32. They ought to be.

Wonder what other "little" surprises lurk in the hundreds of pages of this corporate giveaway plan?

[papau]

34. Yep - you pay 4020 of the first 5520 - then you get 95% drug coverage!

Why was the bill not present as giving the above - why are the facts so hard for the media to state?

Well today he signs it - and all we had to give up was Medicare without paying for insurance company profits!

[loudnclear]

43. It wasn't "little noticed" by the Congress, they just hoped we didn't

notice it. I heard about this in discussion all around this debate, yet our Congresspeople (Feinstein and others) voted for it anyway. The analysts kept saying that a certain number of people with insurance to cover drugs would be hurt...but NOOOOOOOOOOOOO...the sheeple just let the Rwingers and their pundits (Rush, Hannity, O'Reilly) fill their heads with a bund of lies about how the Dems just didn't want Bush to get credit for doing what no other President had done before him.
I'm not pissed...I am angry that people are so stupid. But they get what their non-thinking, biased heads deserve.

[pinto]

2. Medigap surprise

Medigap prescription coverage is more important than any other back-up Medicare plan. Seniors and others with chronic conditions get by on established prescriptions, not repeat office visits, specialist appointments, etc, as long as their set medication regemin remains effective and their condition remains stable.

It's the MEDS that cost out of pocket on a month to month basis. Loss of that "gap" coverage will force some people into a poor set of choices.

Less pressing, but just as troubling, is the long term siphoning of funds from Medicare this bill will produce, and a more polorized health care delivery system.

[baby_bear]

3. What a novel approach to capitalism...

Is this sort of like taxing cigarettes to discourage smoking? Make prescription medications more expensive and then people simply won't get sick? I don't think so.

It's pretty obvious that the theory behind this is that the lives of older people are not worth very much to society. They cost too much to maintain.

Cynicism, anyone?

s_m

[Gin]

4. I heard that the PPO or HMO will offer their own gap coverage....so they

get money from all ends. If you have that coverage now...you will not be able to use it when the bill is totally rolled out. If you stay in Medicare...you pay for your own drug costs.

Look out when all of this is public.

[pinto]

5. pretty much a BINGO!, kick n/t

[Malva Zebrina]

11. most likely this is what will happen

. Seems logical to me

[SharonAnn]

17. Well, Frist's family business is HCA which has a HUGE HMO.

His brother is President, his father was Chairman of the Board until last year.

HCA was fined MORE THAN $1 BILLION in Medicare fraud fines in the years 2001-2002.

So of course, Frist and his cronies got the bill written the way they wanted. It's the only reason he was for 'The Prescription Drug" bill.

[nbsmom]

18. HCA is a hospital chain

It's for profit, and greedy, but it's not an HMO, by any stretch of the imagination.

[depakid]

29. that paid the largest fine ever levied for medicare fraud-

close to two Bilion dollars- and it might have been (probably should have been) more. The very fact that Frist took a major role in getting this legislation passed just goes to show how utterly corrupt the American political system is.

[Rainbows]

38. And he replaced ...

the sad 'Lott' of our political prediciment.

[NashVegas]

33. But Perhaps They'd Like to Be

HCA and Blue Cross of Tennessee have been in locked horns for over a year. Blue Cross, a year ago, announced it would not include HCA hospitals and doctors in its system.

I don't blame them. 16 months ago, I was treated by an HCA doctor for a sinus infection. Doctor Feelgood, when he was writing up my prescription for allergy meds, looked at me and asked, "hey, you get a lot of tension headaches, don't you?" "No, not really," said I. "Not at all." He went ahead and wrote me a prescription anyway, for I-forget-what-type-of-medication but it's name indicated it's probably in the same family of drugs as phenobarbitol.

I got it filled, thinking it could be something to use for sinus headaches. UNTIL I got home and read the list of possible side effects and said 'no fucking way.'

You wanna tell me this HCA doctor wasn't getting kickbacks?

[shanti]

7. it's the boomers that are being targeted, imo

there are just too many of us, we are expendable....:-(

[Gin]

48. There ARE a lot of us...and we spend..and we vote...I think we have

great potential for correcting this farse...WE HAVE THE POWER..we just need to get the info so that we speak with knowledge about the subject...and then start telling the story to all who will listen...also tell it to the fools who wrote this and who supported it.

[aquart]

12. But...but...WHY are they stopping insurance cos from making a buck?

Surely that's against everything this congress stands for?

[radfringe]

24. Make prescription medications more expensive - people won't get sick

not quite...

by pricing prescription meds at prices people can't afford means people won't be taking meds that help them live - they die sooner and reduce the cost to insurance companies


"If they would rather die," said Scrooge, "they had better do it, and decrease the surplus population......."

[0007]

46. This is total nonsense! A few may abuse the system, but not to ...

the effect to make the rest of us senior suffer.
Read this;
"They also wanted to be sure that beneficiaries would bear some of the cost. Health economists have long asserted that when beneficiaries are insulated from the costs, they tend to overuse medical services."

My Socical Security check is $830.80 a month. I pay $58.00 a month for part A, I pay $179.00 a month for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas. A supplemental insurance. I have COPD and pay out of my pocket for all of my perscription drugs cost. I tired to get Medicaid but was refused because I have too much income coming in. All I have in the world is my Social Security and a 1988 Toyota. No stocks, bonds, or any property and my children don't help me out!

I want to check out! Where's doctor death?

Edited to spell Medicaid. I'm so pissed I can't think straight.

[cthrumatrix]

6. well * has to assure the coporate profits.... I'm sure AARP explained this

to thier members.

Maybe a good idea is for AARP member to review their leadership. Change starts at the top.

[joanski01]

8. I'm a senior and I am pissed.

I have the AARP Medigap policy. After a deductible, UnitedHealthcare pays 50% of my prescription costs. Does anybody know if this means AARP won't pay anything towards my prescriptions after 2006?

Damn, they'll probably say I have to give up Medicare and sign up with them. Crap!!! I sure hope we have a Democrat president by 2005.

[pinto]

9. contact your UntitedHealthcare rep and AARP for a clear answer, if they

don't give you what you need to make some decisions contact your state's regulatory body....sorry to be so obtuse about the last, but here in CA it's called State Dept of Coorporations, or some such (they oversee insurance companies, as coorporations)....

if all else fails, call your state's Department of Health and get a lead. Ask questions, Good luck!

[Rainbows]

37. Don't bother with AARP ...

I believe I read just last week many of their members are in revolt over the AARP's either endorsement or recommendation (?) of the legislation.

[pinto]

39. Bush signing law now

Says there was "grass roots support for this bill" (???) and that many "agitated" for change.

There'll be some agitation in '06 when this law becomes clear...

Thanks everyone and their brother except the Congressman whose vote the Repigs extorted....

[reprobate]

53. So far they have lost about 200,000 members, including me.

AARP will get NO more money from me. They have become nothing but an insurance company. Last year they made 300 million dollars, half from memebership fees and half from insurance premiums.

Many of us have joined the Alliance for Retired Americans. At least they are not republican money grabbers. Yet.

[pinto]

54. I've cancelled mine, too, want to look into ARA n/t

[pinto]

10. ps, you can call Social Security, toll free, 1.800.772.1213

[0007]

47. Yeah, just try and get on with a human being!

I write letter, and get no answer.

[aquart]

13. Democratic president. Yes. That would be nice.

OR all of us could declare for Congress and run on the platform of needing the congressional medical plan and making it accessible to all Americans.

That would be fun, too.

[Gin]

49. "Thats the plan"...they want you to give up Medicare and go into a private

plan....next is social security...stand by....AARP refunded my membership money...good riddance to them..

If you need supplemental..you will get it form the PPo or the HMO...also...they set the costs and what drugs will be covered.

[pfitz59]

14. Coercive insurance deals.......

I have two dental plans. One covers 60% of the cost of a crown. Other covers 50%...so I have 110% coverage, right? Wrong! Primary plan pays 60%, secondary plan pays 50% of remainder, thus I'm still stuck with 20% of the bill! Sounds like same shit with Medicare, people will be screwed no matter what!

[pinto]

16. not exactly, under the new Medicare plan, if that coverage was for meds

your first plan, a Medicare plan, paying 60%, would be good, but your second, "extra" coverage would be a no go....so you'd pay 40% of your med bill...and the premium for the useless secondary.

Hang on to those dental plans.

[EFF BrandyWine]

30. you have no idea....

how fortunate you are to have that kind of dental coverage...we are seniors and have no dental coverage with our HMO and policies are too expensive. A crown cost $1000...a root canal costs $1100...an extraction (with twilight sleep) costs $575...a visit to the endontist is $100...all out of pocket expense on a fixed income. And now Medicare is about to go down the tubes?????

[DeepModem Mom]

19. kick: this affects a lot of people... nt

[twilight]

20. when exactly was this bill passed?

It is according to congressional law to have been signed within 10 days of it being passed. If it isn't signed within the 10 days (and that is if Congress is not in session) it becomes a pocket-veto!

Anyone know?

Please advise if so!!

:dem: :kick:

[joanski01]

22. The chimp-in-chief is

signing this bill tomorrow, Monday. With lots of ceremony, too.

[twilight]

23. drat!

I am seriously bummed being a totally disabled person on Medicare and paying a load for supplemental insurance. However, I just had major surgery and the bill was picked up between the two in full as far as I know.

Try living on $800.00 a month! It isn't easy and unfortunately people with my disability often live fairly long.

This only adds stress to my illness which is a known activator to the disease. I suppose they'd seriously like to off the lot of us.

Luckily, I am not on any of the drugs which cost ~$2,000 a month for this disease. If I was on them, I'd be seriously freaked.

Damn * ... damn you!!!

:dem: :kick:

[twilight]

21. pocket-veto info. PLEASE READ!

CSPAN Congressional Glossary
Term Definition Used In Pocket Veto

A Pocket Veto is when the President fails to sign a bill within the 10 days allowed by the Constitution.

Congress must be in adjournment in order for a pocket veto to take effect.

If Congress is in session and the president fails to sign the bill, it becomes law without his signature. House and Senate

http://www.c-span.org/guide/congress/glossary/pktveto.htm

If * had a brain he'd pocket-veto this ... IF that is!

:dem: :kick:

P.S. I don't know why I lost my star as I have donated to the DU in the past. What's the deal - anyone know?

[0007]

50. Check in with Skinner, he'll make it right.

See my post #46, twilight -

[snippy]

25. This is such a particularly shitty thing to do. How very republican.

Many seniors who might benefit will opt not to enroll in the precription drug portion of Medicare because of this.

[dflprincess]

26. NBC news did a story on this tonight

I especially liked the quote from the White House that the out-of-pocket costs would help people understand the high cost of prescription coverage...Like they didn't already?

[demgrrrll]

27. I knew it! They did this in Missouri to people who bought a certain

medicare complete policy. I am sure many people have no idea just how
awful this is for people who have to deal with any kind of ongoing
catastrophic illness. These policy programs are fine if you are healthy but a disaster if you are not.

[NashVegas]

36. They've Got a Point

If all prescription costs across the board were dropped from all insurance packages across the board, there would be no sound in the world like the screams of people finally realizing EXACTLY how much the drugs cost, while we've been blissfully signing our co-payments.

[salin]

56. What... so they can highlight that the bill does NOTHING to try

to bring down prices... So they recognize the REAL problem (the rising problem) and then use it as the excuse to screw folks - while making sure they do not legislatively deal with the problem. Imagine the bargaining power that the program would have...

[Gloria]

28. I guess it doesn't affect state health benefits plans...like the teachers

have??? My mother has a drug plan along with her supplemental insurance provided by the State of NJ......She's lucky to have it, but at the same time, taxpayers who don't have any such luck foot the bill!

That's why we need universal healthcare..to eliminated this sort of thing.

[baby_bear]

45. Your mother's benefits could change, though

My folks have good prescription benefits also, through my father's teacher retirement health plan (in California). I alerted them to this bill some time ago and told them that many retirement plans are expected to eliminate drug coverage since they could say that Medicare now offers it. Retired people who are represented by unions are supposedly less likely to see this happen, but let's face it, it's not a legal guarantee.

Heads up, everyone! The Republicans want LESS care, not more, unless you can pay for it out of your own pocket. Social Security is next on the hit list.

s_m

P.S. I would encourage all who have Senators or Representatives who voted for this bill to write them and ask them specifically if they knew about this "little known" (according to the article) provision regarding Medigap, and if not, why didn't they, and if so, why did they vote for it, and why didn't they let their constituents know it was in the bill?

[TexasPatriot]

55. this is absolutely true

my aunt and uncle are retired in cali and, as a result of their retirement, have prescription coverage. It is expected that their retirement benefit will be removed as soon as this goes into effect - and thus they'll be out the thousands of dollars per year that they currently do not have to pay.

They are LIVID with Feinstein for supporting it.

[marigold20]

31. Smiles all around tomorrow at the signing ceremony

Who cares what the seniors and soon to be seniors think?

Some of the "arm-twisted" House members who voted for this turkey may have some explaining to do tomorrow.

[havocmom]

35. Congress and the puppet in the WH fine older Americans all $$ in wallets

for the crime of living beyond their 'productive years' and reaching retirement age.

No longer paying enough taxes due to old age or infirmaties? Well, you aren't doing your share towards making America profitable for mega-corporations and the deserving CEOs who loot,err, run them (into the ground). Your fine will be every dime you have left. No point in having any money left at the end of your life. If you leave anything to your surviving family, they will not appreciate the values of making their own way in this world. Oh, and thank you for the repeal of estate taxes, so our spoiled brats can be assured of inheriting every dime we steal, err, earn from safeguarding the public good and the fiscal well being of corporations and the nation. /sarcasm

[Rainbows]

40. Used to be called ...

cynicism, the raw edge of truth. Keep up the good work. :)

[tom_paine]

41. Well said, havocmom!

So true...

[Bandit]

42. AARP sells Medi-gap insurance

Did they shoot themselves in the foot?

[Gin]

51. probably will sell something the ppo or hmo will let them broker for them

gin

[twilight]

52. AARP also sells life insurance

I called them up and told them that they will be getting no more of our money here for their crappy little life insurance plan. The money is wired to the AARP every month so they just got cut-off.

I suggest others do the same if they can. Why pay these idiots money to support their organization that obviously doesn't give two hoots in hell about the retired people in America?

Just say NO to their crappy life insurance policies which aren't cheap by a longshot!

I believe the AARP will deeply regret their decision once the BUCK STOPS HERE!!!!!

:mad:

:dem: :kick:

[0007]

57. Who can afford life insurance?

[54anickel]

58. But, but Scully says Medicare is dumb

http://www.misleader.org/daily_mislead/Read.asp?fn=df12082003.html