Two startling revelations about the GOP "drug discount program"

[KansDem]

At least startling to me...perhaps some DUers already knew this.

As I was driving to work this morning, I heard two distressing bits of information on NPR regarding the GOP prescription drug benefit:

1. Seniors can only make changes at the end of December; I suppose once you're in the program, you have to stay in until the end of the year. However, the drug companies can make changes whenever they want, even "daily" if they wanted. So when you receive your "drug discount card," you cannot expect the conditions to remain the same when you joined the program, and you cannot get out of the program if the drug companies change the rules to your detriment of dissatisfaction...

2. The FDA recently discovered that seniors who use the "drug discount card" will lose food-stamp eligibility. So, if you're elderly and on food stamps, you risk losing your food stamps if you use the "drug discount" program.

This is pure crapola of the highest caliber! If I'm mistaken on these points, or misunderstood the news report, please correct me...

We have this bit of GOP-induced legislative fiasco, but can still find the time and money to "debate" a flag-burning amendment??? Welcome to George W. Bush's Amerika!!!

[indepat]

1. The explanation is simple: every piece of Repuke legislation is designed

to benefit corporations at the expense of we the people.

[FloridaPat]

2. These people are such creeps. Also, seems if you have

$500 worth of drugs during the year, you end up paying over $700 for the everything.

[spinbaby]

3. Also...

...I'm not sure if this is true or not (dont' really have time to research it), but I've been told by the folks at my mother's retirement home that the bill expressly forbids seniors to buy supplemental insurance to cover gaps in their drug coverage.

[Ilsa]

4. And they have to wonder why seniors aren't rushing out

sign up for this POS program? Idiots.

[lcooksey]

5. Food stamps

The USDA originally said that those low-income seniors who get the $600 annual assistance money for purchasing drugs would have that money count against their eligibility for food stamps. The quickly reversed that decision, although I'm not sure what the basis for the reversal is. If federal law says the money ought to count against food stamp eligibility, they can't just waive that away.

The idiots writing the drug assistance bill should have covered the food stamp issue in that law. The whole thing is one big FUBAR.

[LittleApple81]

7. FUBAR? I would call it a PROPAGANDA tool going haywire. n/t

[AP]

6. The program is absurb. You have to agree to buy drugs from one place....

...but they don't have to guarantee you a price.

These discount cards are no different from grocery store loyalty cards except that when you have a loyalt card, the grocery store can't prevent you from getting other loyalty cards and comparison shopping.

And you know what? Grocery stores don't give you loyalty cards because they think it means you'll spend less money on food. They do it because they think they can lure you in with occassional cheap prices on a few things, and they'll get you to buy a lot of other stuff at high markups.