Posted At PRNewswire
BY : PRNewswire
October 1, 2005 was the day that many American seniors waited for - the day that information aboutPlan D, Medicare's prescription drug coverage, would be released. The day came- and went - and still America's elderly remain utterly confused."How does one choose a plan when the information is overcomplicated,erroneous and incomplete?" says Dr. Paul Zickler of DoctorSolve(http://www.doctorsolve.com).
"Medicare and You," the handbook designed to aid seniors in understanding Plan D, contains a critical mistake. It tells beneficiaries that if they qualify for an extra subsidy for their drug costs, every plan is available to them with no monthly premium.
The truth is only the very basic plans have no premiums for those who qualify for extra assistance. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services do not intend to correct the problem, but instead will rely on insurance companies to do it for them. "This is in fact the second blooper with 'Medicare and You,'" says Zickler. "The first printing omitted mention of the $2,850 coverage gap or donut hole. How many more mistakes are buried in its cumbersome text?"
Indeed, "Medicare and You" is tough reading. Many seniors report needing to set aside a whole day to get through it. And those who turned to the 1-800- Medicare helpline or the prescription drug plan finder on http://www.medicare.gov to help them hit yet another brick wall. A crucial
piece of data - pricing information of the drugs - is still not available,
making it impossible to make an informed decision.
"Phone support and online tools put in place to aid seniors in making their choices about Medicare are failing miserably," states Zickler. "If those who created this incredibly flawed plan can't explain it properly, how do they expect people to convert?"
George Kourpias, President of the Alliance for Retired Americans, says that seniors are simply not going to blindly sign up for Plan D without knowing the facts: "America's seniors will recognize a good plan when they see one. No matter how hard Republicans and the drug industry try to sell this plan, seniors are not going to buy it without fully understanding it." While Medicare officials scramble to fill in the blanks, there is another tool that seniors can use to get an indication of whether or not Plan D is a good option for them. DoctorSolve offers a FREE online Medicare Cost Assessment (http://www.doctorsolve.com). In less than a minute, patients can answer a few simple questions and determine if Medicare Plan D will actually save them money.
Rather than try to dissect the reams of information regarding Plan D, many seniors say they will stick with their current plan or continue to buy their meds from across the border. "At least they know what they're getting and exactly what their meds cost," states Zickler. "Patients who order from Canada are paying on average 43% less for safe, high-quality drugs, with no hidden fees, monthly premiums, annual deductible, dispensing fees or gaps in coverage. More importantly, they get answers when they need them!"
DoctorSolve, a Canadian Internet-based pharmacy intermediary (license #BC Q37), offers lower-cost, long-term prescriptions. A professionally registered pharmacist fills all prescriptions. A certified member of the Canadian International Pharmacy Association, DoctorSolve is ranked as one of the best online pharmacies by PharmacyChecker.com. DoctorSolve has filled more than 200,000 U.S. prescriptions.
