S-A--Millions of Seniors Suddenly Trapped in Medicare Drug Plan

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" Misty L. Trepke " <mistytrepke

Fri, 18 Aug 2006 14:30:21 -0000

Subject:<< --S-A-- >>Millions of Seniors Suddenly Trapped in Medicare

Drug Plan

 

 

 

 

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Misty L. Trepke

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Millions of American seniors suddenly trapped in Medicare drug plan

Printable article Permalink: http://www.NewsTarget.com/019824.html

 

(News Target) Under Medicare's new Plan D, seniors are maxing out

their prescription drug coverage earlier, leaving them to pick up a

majority of the costs or go without coverage until Medicare begins

to pick up the tab again.

 

The plan's objectives were to cover all Medicare recipients at some

level and protect the elderly and disabled from massive medical

bills. To reach these goals, the plan was designed to stop coverage

when drug costs for the year reach a little over $2,000. Once costs

go over $5,000, prescription drugs are covered again. This $3,000

gap is referred to as the doughnut hole.

 

Advocates and health analysts anticipate serious health risks for

those with limited incomes who can no longer afford medications

while they are in the gap. Although participants are generally at

the poverty level, only the poorest can get waivers for their meds,

forcing some seniors to choose between live-saving medicine and

their next meal. Official estimates have reported that 7 million

Americans will find themselves in the doughnut hole this year alone.

Many seniors didn't know about the doughnut hole until they hit the

cut-off point recently. Many more seniors are expected to hit the

gap in September. Critics say the doughnut hole got little press,

because most seniors were bombarded with advertising and focused on

deductibles and premiums when they signed up.

 

Solutions to the doughnut hole include possible price negotiations

by Medicare directly with drug companies, or waivers for seniors who

have fallen into the gap.

 

Mike Adams, a consumer health advocate and vocal critic of the

Medicare plan, is not at all surprised to see seniors in an

uproar. " Underneath all the hype and political posturing, this

Medicare drug plan was never designed to save Americans money in the

first place, " he says. " It was engineered as nothing more than a

taxpayer-funded handout to Big Pharma, dressed up to look like a

free lunch for senior citizens. "