Sherrod Brown calls for extending deadline for Medicare Pt D

[OzarkDem]

Only about 1/3 of the seniors who need to enroll in the program have signed up for it...

http://www.ohiodems.org/ht/d/sp/i/726198/pid/726198

On edit: (apologies for not posting this in the Ohio forum, I was banned from posting there several weeks ago; no other way to get the news out on Ohio politics, except in the GD Politics Forum).

[mdmc]

1. The program doesn't work and needs to be abolished

[OzarkDem]

2. Agree, its a mess

But right now, there's no alternative for people on Medicare.

We need to keep reminding voters what a scam it is, all the way to election day.

[mdmc]

3. Why should the enrollment be hyped, if it is a scam in the end

why not have seniors wait until it is fixed, then have them enroll?

[OzarkDem]

4. Lesser of two evils

Every low income person on Medicare has to enroll in the program, as crummy as it is. If people don't enroll and choose a prescription coverage provider, they'll be enrolled anyway and a provider will be chosen for them.

Since providers don't cover the same drugs, patients could end up being forced into a plan that doesn't cover their prescriptions, meaning they would have to pay out of pocket.

Its the worst of possible choices. The only thing we can do is encourage them to enroll in a plan now that covers their medicines, then try to go back and fix or get rid of the program when Dems take control of Congress again.

But for the interim, these people need some sort of prescription drug plan, even if its a crummy expensive one. Its better than not getting any drug coverage at all.