11. The Medicare drug program is the solution to the healthcare crisis in the U.S.

• The new Medicare Drug Plan is proving to be a mess - as predicted by its critics. Touted by the Bush administration as a "great" deal for the 42 million seniors and disabled people who receive Medicare benefits, it is instead a bonanza for the health insurance and pharmaceutical giants but a nightmare for many of the poorest and sickest. (January 25, 2006 - Workers.org)


• Four days into the implementation of the new Medicare prescription-drug plan, reports from across the nation show a program in disarray as patients, pharmacists and doctors attempt to understand and make use of the benefits offered under the 2003 legislation. (January 4, 2006 - NewStandardNews.com)


• Many others who were purchasing medication using the new Medicare program reported a great deal of frustration with the system. Overall most people felt a sense of confusion with the new program, both using it now and enrolling in the program. (January 5, 2006 - KeepMeCurrent.com)


• America's seniors have found in such orders (medication from Canada) relief from the unfair and predatory pricing for prescription drugs within the United States, a situation that not only will not be improved by Part D but will actually provide drug manufacturers with opportunities for even more profits at the expense of those who are most vulnerable - America's seniors. (December 15, 2005 - Yahoo)


• Even some conservative Republicans, Sen. Chuck Hagel of Nebraska among them, have expressed disgust with the budget games the Bush Administration is playing to disguise the adverse impact of even this flawed drug-coverage program on the federal budget, already hundreds of billions of dollars in the red. (December 22, 2005 - Toledo Blade)


• Based on an internal study, 90% of eligible Medicare beneficiaries spending less than $7000 per year in retail drug expenses will benefit more financially by ordering their drugs from Canada than through Medicare D. In general, Canadian savings range from 40-70% vs. retail U.S. drug prices. (December 22, 2005 - PharmaLive)


• Recent polls among U.S. seniors reveal sweeping dissatisfaction with the new Medicare Part D prescription drug program. Savvy seniors establish a new trend by turning to Canadian pharmacies to cover Medicare gaps. (December 22, 2005 - PRNewswire)


• Based on an internal study, 90% of eligible Medicare beneficiaries spending less than $7000 per year in retail drug expenses will benefit more financially by ordering their drugs from Canada than through Medicare D. In general, Canadian savings range from 40-70% vs. retail U.S. drug prices. (December 22, 2005 – PharmaLive)


• Recent polls among U.S. seniors reveal sweeping dissatisfaction with the new Medicare Part D prescription drug program. Savvy seniors establish a new trend by turning to Canadian pharmacies to cover Medicare gaps. (December 22, 2005 – PRNewswire)


• The enrollment period for the controversial Medicare Part D prescription drug program has been marked by mass confusion and inadequate resources to help American seniors make informed choices. But even when seniors understand the program, new surveys indicate the majority still don’t like it. (December 22, 2005 – PRNewswire)


• Case analysis performed for more than 1,800 U.S. seniors reveals that over 84% will save more money buying their prescription medications from Canada than through Medicare Part D. The proof is in: ordering from Canada is simpler, easier and cheaper. (December 20, 2005 – Yahoo Press Release)


• American seniors are being inundated with promotional materials about the Medicare Part D prescription program. The complexity of its design has been compounded by an overwhelming array of private plans resulting in mass confusion and anxiety. (November 23, 2005 - Emediawire.com)


• Everyone - Medicare recipients, pharmacists and even apparently agents of the 41 companies selling approved Medicare drug coverage plans in Florida - feels a bit confused and nervous about the program. (October 31, 2005 - News-Press.com)


• You may be able to benefit from the Part D Medicare prescription drug benefit, but be aware of some of the pitfalls, or you could end up losing money. (September 17, 2005 - Chico Enterprise-Record)


• Medicare's new Prescription Drug coverage (Part D) begins in 2006 and American seniors are struggling to assess and understand the complexity of the program and what it means for them. Even professional caregivers find themselves confused and concerned about the gaps in coverage and the high cost of premiums and deductibles. But of particular concern, where patients must pay for 100% of their prescription costs. (September 13, 2005 - Lansing State Journal)


• New York's Medicaid program is by far the most expensive and most generous in the nation. It spends far more now $44.5 billion annually than that of any other state, even California, whose Medicaid program covers about 55 percent more people. New York's Medicaid budget is larger than most states entire budgets and it spends nearly twice the national average roughly $10,600 more than any other state on each of its 4.2 million recipients, one in every five New Yorkers. (July 18, 2005, New York Times)


• Medicare, too, has a prescription price problem. Congress approved a bill that established a drug benefit for Medicare, but forbids the program to use its collective power to seek lower prices from pharmaceutical companies. (July 5, 2005 - Sun-Sentinel.com)


• In preparation for his campaign for re-election last year, President Bush pressured the Republican-controlled Congress to pass a prescription drug-bill to obtain votes of senior voters. Because many Republican members of Congress opposed the legislation, it was passed by the House of Representatives by a majority of one vote after hours of arm-twisting during a session that continued past midnight. (June 28, 2005 - Statesman Journal)


• Medicare's new Prescription Drug coverage (Part D) begins in 2006 and American seniors are struggling to assess and understand the complexity of the program and what it means for them. Even professional caregivers find themselves confused and concerned about the gaps in coverage and the high cost of premiums and deductibles. But of particular concern, where patients must pay for 100% of their prescription costs. (September 13, 2005 - Lansing State Journal)


• Another little known fact is that is that low-income seniors will no longer be allowed to receive drug benefits from Medicaid. State officials are worried because even though Medicare will now pay for far fewer drugs than state plans, the new law will bar state agencies from supplementing coverage to close the gap. (June 20, 2005 - Scoop.co.nz)


• Medicaid, a health-care program for the poor, will stop covering certain drugs for 900,000 adult recipients in Illinois who don't live in nursing homes. (June 22, 2005 - Rockford Register Star)


• Medicare won't be paying for prescription drugs until Jan.1, but the Bush administration already is ramping up an aggressive enrollment campaign aimed at the 43 million seniors and disabled people in the federal health insurance program. The early start, which began in May, is an indication of the challenge the administration faces in getting out the world about a complex, potentially generous new health care benefit. (June 22, 2005 - Washington Bureau)


• . In 2003, when the Bush administration was trying to convince Republican House members to approve the new Medicare prescription drug benefit, the administration said the benefit would cost no more than $400 billion. After approval, the administration revised the 10-year cost to $534 billion and was forced to admit that it knew this all along. The head of Medicare, Mark McClellan, now says that the net 10-year cost will be about $720 billion, starting in 2006. (February 14, 2005 - The Leaf Chronicle)


• The prescription drug bill that was created by these officials is a gold mine for the pharmaceutical industry for 3 reasons; it expands their customer base for brand-name drugs, it protects the industry from importation, and it bars the government from negotiating price discounts. (Independent Media TV - January 31, 2005)


• An analysis of the Bush Administration's new Medicare drug law, set to go into effect January 2006, found that low-income seniors and people with disabilities will end up paying more for prescription drugs than they currently do. The revelation is just the latest addition to a pile of complaints about the controversial legislation. (The News Stand - December 23, 2004)


• As a result of Bush's Medicare scam, the drug and insurance industries will receive an additional $139.2 billion in profits over the next eight years with 61% of it going for prescription drugs and $14 billion going to HMOs. (Independent Media TV October 11, 2004)


• The short term Medicare card program has done little to reduce prices beyond those already available from Canada.  (Lebanon Daily News August 16, 2004)


• On September 19, 2004, an article in the Washington Post, reported that the White House budget office estimates spending related to the Medicare drug benefit could increase by another $42 billion increasing the initial estimate of $400 billion to $576 billion. (BuzzFlash.com September 28, 2004)


• As a result of Bush's Medicare scam, the drug and insurance industries will receive an additional $139.2 billion in profits over the next eight years with 61% of it going for prescription drugs and $14 billion going to HMOs. (Independent Media TV – October 11, 2004)


• Jeff Trewhitt, a spokesman for PhRMA, declined to discuss campaign-related spending but said the organization had two major priorities: keeping the Medicare drug plan initiated by Bush on track in 2006 and blocking efforts to permit importing drugs from Canada. (Fort Wayne.com - November 14, 2004)


• This year, the industry trade association, the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers Association, has been less visible in part because campaign finance laws limited the use of corporate funds in broadcast political ads. Some organizations it backs ran print ads and did mailers in key states and made calls urging support for candidates who supported Bush Medicare proposal and opposed drug importation from Canada. Drug companies were significant donors to the Chamber of Commerce campaign efforts this year. (Fort Wayne.com - November 14, 2004)


• On September 19, 2004, an article in the Washington Post, reported that the White House budget office estimates spending related to the Medicare drug benefit could increase by another $42 billion increasing the initial estimate of $400 billion to $576 billion. (BuzzFlash.com - September 28, 2004)


• The short-term Medicare card program has done little to reduce prices beyond those already available from Canada. (Lebanon Daily News August 16, 2004)


• The Bush administration has spent $87 million on television ads, mailings and other means to promote the new Medicare prescription drug benefit, according to the Health and Human Services Department. (August 11, 2004)


• New government estimates suggest that employers will reduce or eliminate prescription drug benefits for 3.8 million retirees when Medicare offers such coverage in 2006. No aspect of the new Medicare law causes more concern among retirees than the possibility that they might lose benefits they already have. (New York Times July 14, 2004)


• The Medicare drug discount cards are tricky. The discounts vary, depending on the drug, the card sponsor and the pharmacy where the medications are purchased. What's more, companies that offer the cards can change their drug list and the discounts, but enrolees can only get one card in a calendar year. The government projected that 7.4 million of the nation's 41 million Medicare beneficiaries would apply for a card, but so far only 3.9 million seniors have enrolled, about half of those were automatically enrolled under their own private health plans. (Buffalo News July 26, 2004)


• New government estimates suggest that employers will reduce or eliminate prescription drug benefits for 3.8 million retirees when Medicare offers such coverage in 2006. No aspect of the new Medicare law causes more concern among retirees than the possibility that they might lose benefits they already have. (New York Times July 14, 2004)
• A scandal erupted this year when Medicare's chief actuary said he was barred from telling Congress that his estimates of the Medicare bill were $134 billion higher than the Congressional Budget Office's. It is unclear whether the bill would have passed if that information were widely available. (Reuters July 14, 2004)


• Bush was not a supporter of the Medicare prescription drug benefit until it became apparent that almost 80% of Americans were supporters, they were not going to give up, and failure of Bush to support it was political suicide for the president and fellow Republicans. The $530 billion cost is a third more than the Bush administration estimated for Congress as our senators and representatives deliberated the measure, and some estimates place its costs over the next 10 years at closer to $1 trillion. It is unlikely that Congress would have approved the benefit had it known its true cost, a cost that the Bush administration hid in part by threatening to fire Medicare's chief financial analyst if he told Congress what he believed the real cost to be. The real cost was revealed two months after Congress voted the benefit into law.Thesecosts willmost likely be passed on to the American taxpayer.(Bangor Daily News August 3, 2004)


• The law approved recently that added a prescription-drug benefit to Medicare is about as good as a placebo adding that it does nothing to fix the high cost of drugs. (August 28, 2004 Arkansas News Bureau)


• Medicare will slash reimbursement for cancer drugs. While these cuts apply to drugs the agency already covers mainly those administered intravenously in a physician's office many people do not realize that cancer drugs available exclusively in oral form, as pills or tablets, won't be covered by Medicare at all until 2006. (September 2, 2004 Cincinnati Post)


• According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, while 83% of Medicare enrollees take prescription drugs, only 62% of all beneficiaries have drug coverage. These figures reveal that 21% of Medicare enrollees, or 8.4 million seniors, buy prescription drugs entirely out-of-pocket. In 2003, the average out-of-pocket expenses for Medicare enrollees were $999 for prescription drugs. (September 3, 2004 PR Newswire)


• Some retirees have said they researched the Medicare drug discount cards and found their savings would be only 10 percent to 20 percent, which they thought wasn't worth the effort. (September 3, 2004 Pantagraph)


• The Bush administration has spent $87 million on television ads, mailings and other means to promote the new Medicare prescription drug benefit, according to the Health and Human Services Department. (August 11, 2004)


• Bristol Myers Squibb and its employees have given over $4 million to federal candidates and party committees since 1999, over 80% to Republicans. Former Bristol Myers Squibb CEO, Charles Heimbold is no longer CEO because he was appointed by Bush to be US Ambassador to Sweden. (Independent Media TV October 4, 2004)

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