Editorials, Opinion Pieces Discuss Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit Issues
Augusta Chronicle: The "time for confusion and procrastination is over," a Chronicle editorial states. Although the Medicare prescription drug benefit "has its flaws," the program is "a very good deal," and beneficiaries are "foolish not to participate in it," the editorial states. For Medicare beneficiaries who require help with enrollment, "there are a host of places where help and expert advice is available," the editorial states, adding, "The savings and benefits are too large to ignore" (Augusta Chronicle, 5/10).
Baltimore Sun: Federal officials should waive the financial penalty for late enrollment in the drug benefit for all beneficiaries who sign up by the end of 2006, not just for low-income Medicare beneficiaries, a Sun editorial states, adding that a "do-over period for those who hastily pick a bad plan -- one that doesn't fit their needs -- should also be allowed" (Baltimore Sun, 5/11).
Billings Gazette: Two bills introduced last month by Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.) are "steps in the right direction" to "refine Part D," a Gazette editorial states. According to the editorial, the bills would eliminate delays in reimbursements to pharmacists under the Medicare prescription drug benefit, standardize prescription drug plans and prohibit changes in coverage provided by the plans during the benefit year, among other provisions. The bills are "common sense," but they "don't address the overall cost of Part D or the deadline penalty," the editorial states, adding, "Congress made it so; Congress must fix it" (Billings Gazette, 5/9).
The Hill: "Despite the outcry" over the Medicare prescription drug benefit enrollment deadline, "it is not clear" whether Republican lawmakers would "benefit from supporting an extension" because conservative voters likely would oppose efforts that would increase the cost of the program, according to an editorial in The Hill. "If public anger grows about the deadline, listen for a bigger chorus of calls for a deadline reprieve," the editorial states, adding, "If the issue fades, well, so will the chorus." According to the editorial, "The politics of the drug benefit have already shifted several times," and the "mood could change again" (The Hill, 5/10).
Philadelphia Daily News: Medicare beneficiaries who have not enrolled in the prescription drug benefit should collect their "drug bottles, get to a computer and visit www.MyMedicareMatters.org," a Daily News editorial states. The Web site is a "good resource" that will help Medicare beneficiaries "navigate through Part D, compare plan options, assess a patient's situation and help select the plan that is best for them," the editorial states. Although some have called for an extension of the enrollment deadline, Medicare beneficiaries should "sign up now" for "peace of mind," the editorial adds (Philadelphia Daily News, 5/10).
Syracuse Post-Standard: "It only makes sense for Congress to extend the deadline so seniors can make informed choices about this ridiculously confusing program without being penalized," a Post-Standard editorial states. According to the editorial, legislation to extend the enrollment deadline by six months has "broad bipartisan support" and "deserves to be passed." The editorial concludes, "It's just grossly unfair to leave so many seniors behind because of a mess of the government's own making" (Syracuse Post-Standard, 5/9). Opinion Pieces
Harriet Johnson Brackey, "Nightly Business Report": Medicare beneficiaries should enroll in the prescription drug benefit to protect them from the "soaring costs" of health care in retirement, Brackey, personal finance reporter for the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, says in a commentary on PBS. Johnson Brackey notes that an average couple will spend $200,000 on health insurance premiums and out-of-pocket medical expenses during retirement despite Medicare coverage, according to an estimate from Fidelity Investments. Many U.S. residents "overlook this expense" and do not anticipate the cost of major illnesses, which "can become the biggest threat to your retirement security, much bigger than inflation," according to Johnson Brackey (Johnson Brackey, "Nightly Business Report," PBS, 5/10). The complete transcript of the segment is available online.
Fred Griesbach, Philadelphia Inquirer: Griesbach, Pennsylvania state director of AARP, in an Inquirer opinion piece discusses a state bill (SB 1188) that would allow Medicare to pay some prescription drug costs for state residents participating in the prescription drug assistance programs PACE and PACENET. Under the proposal, such individuals would be enrolled in the Medicare drug benefit, and PACE and PACENET would pay premiums, fill coverage gaps under the Medicare drug benefit and pay for medications not covered under Medicare. Griesbach says, "AARP members throughout the state strongly support PACE and PACENET providing 'wraparound benefits' for Medicare Part D" (Griesbach, Philadelphia Inquirer, 5/11).
Rep. Lois Capps (D-Calif.), Ventura County Star: Concerns from members of Congress have "been successful in forcing the Bush administration to make two critical changes to the Medicare Part D program" -- extra time for low-income beneficiaries to enroll in the drug benefit and exempting low-income beneficiaries from the financial penalty for late enrollment -- Capps writes in a County Star opinion piece. "These much-needed changes are good first steps but we need to extend the enrollment deadline for all eligible beneficiaries," she says (Capps, Ventura County Star, 5/11).
Rep. Mike Castle (R-Del.), Wilmington News Journal: "Adding a prescription drug program to Medicare is historic: there were proposals to do so since 1965," Castle writes in a News Journal opinion piece. He adds that, while there were "bumps in the road" when enrollment began, "they are constantly being corrected and the amount of information available and response time continues to improve" (Castle, Wilmington News Journal, 5/10).
"Reprinted with permission from http://www.kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.
Editoriale, Avizul Piesele Discutaþi despre Medicare prescriptie Drug Benefit Probleme - Editorials, Opinion Pieces Discuss Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit Issues - articole medicale engleza - startsanatate