The Medicare prescription Part D needs extension

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The Medicare prescription drug program is costly, confusing and corrupt, and it has left millions of Americans to conclude that President Bush and Congress designed the plan with pharmaceutical and health insurance companies in mind, not seniors.

Medicare Part D is so hopelessly flawed that the enrollment deadline of May 15 must be extended to give Congress time to fix this debacle.

The deadline also must be extended to give people more time to sign up without penalty. It would be immoral to penalize seniors and the disabled for their failure to sign up for a plan that should have never been this difficult and confusing in the first place.

The Bush Administration claims that roughly 29 million Americans of the 42 million who are eligible have enrolled. What officials don't want you to know is that almost three-quarters of those enrolled — some 21 million Americans — were dumped into Part D automatically. Only about half of those eligible for Part D who can voluntarily enroll have done so.

The reasons are clear: cost and confusion. A recent Washington Post/ABC News poll found that more than one in every three Americans who have enrolled reported that they have realized no savings — and when many begin to fall into the infamous "doughnut hole," that figure is sure to rise.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/editorials/2006-04-16-oppose-medicare-deadline_x.htm

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1. An employee of Soc Sec Admin told me today it is indeed a debacle n/t