Seniors say Medicare prescription drug card is confusing and of little benefit
It seems that for many of America's elderly, the Medicare Prescription Drug Card Program is a pathetic attempt to lure voters. Many experts, however, are now saying that the whole affair is an election loser.
The main complaint seems to be that the American government allowed drug companies to dramatically increase their prices before offering paltry discounts. One retired retailer said 'Imagine you doubled the prices of your goods yesterday and today you offer a 15% discount. Basically, that is what the Medicare Card Program is all about - making lots of money for the industry.'
Another complaint is that unless you are in the lowest income bracket, there is virtually no benefit there for you.
A single person earning less than $12,569, or a couple earning less than $16,862 do not have to pay for the card, they also get the first $600 of drug costs paid for by the state.
There are more than 70 different discount cards. They are offered by pharmaceutical companies, pharmacy chains, insurance companies and private companies - they must all be approved by Medicare.
Many help centers for the elderly are amazed at how little interest there is in the cards. Many say that less than 1% of their telephone inquiries relate to the Medicare Card Program. When they ask callers whether they are card users over 97% say they are not.
Seniors do not like the card, most of them do not understand how it works, they say the savings are negligible, they last a very short time and deciding which one to chose is like walking through a laberynth.
If seniors buy their drugs online from Canadian internet pharmacies they will save hundreds of dollars a month - some even save thousands. If those people switch to the card program and buy locally their savings will not even amount to a tenth of that.
The drug companies have been given all the freedom. Seniors are only allowed to have one card at a time. Pharmaceutical companies, on the other hand, are free to drop any medicine they offer whenever they like.
So, what do you do if you are signed up with a company and they drop your drug? You would not be able to switch cards until November - basically, you would be stranded.
The American government is becoming alarmed at the failure of the whole program. Money is now being spent trying to sell the whole idea to America's elderly because very few people are signing up. As the elections draw near, the people will have to decide whether the Medicare Drug Card Program was really created with the best interests of the country's elderly citizens in mind, or was it just another half-baked idea that got pushed through because some people had more clout than brains.
Over 40 million people in the USA do not have medical insurance, many of those are elderly and children. The number is growing. How can the 'richest' country in the world have so many people without cover? Putting the moral argument to one side - isn't the risk of epidemics and disease outbreaks dangerous for the general population? Thirty years ago life expectancy in the USA was higher than Spain, Italy and Portugal - now, the USA has fallen behind (life expectancy).
Seniori spun Medicare carte de prescripþie de droguri este puþin confuz ºi de a beneficia - Seniors say Medicare prescription drug card is confusing and of little benefit - articole medicale engleza - startsanatate