WP: AARP to Seek a Better Drug Benefit

AARP to Seek a Better Drug Benefit
Saturday, January 28, 2006; Page A07


AARP, the preeminent organization representing older Americans, plans to ask Congress to change the new Medicare prescription drug program, in an effort to give more elderly people with low incomes extra help in paying for medicine and to create a bigger government role in drug prices.

John Rother, AARP's policy director, said yesterday that the group wants lawmakers to change a rule in the drug program that counts assets, such as a house, in determining which Medicare patients are poor enough to qualify for special low-income subsidies. AARP and many congressional Democrats tried to exclude assets when the law was being written in 2003.

Similarly, Rother said, AARP wants to reopen debate over a provision that would have directed health officials to negotiate directly with drug manufacturers over the prices they charge through the program. The law embraced a more market-oriented approach in which drugmakers negotiate prices with insurance plans that sell the drug benefit to patients.

AARP exerted heavy influence in the politics that created the program, endorsing the legislation shortly before it passed a bitterly divided Congress. At the time, Rother said the group might want to "build on it in the future." The White House has said it does not want Congress to reconsider any aspects of the law, which has come under renewed scrutiny this month as the program took effect amid widespread complaints that elderly people are having difficulty getting their medications....


http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/27/AR2006012701406.html

"The White House has said it does not want Congress to reconsider any aspects of the law"

We make a law, then NEVER go back to look at it? Shit, if that was the case, we would have run out of copper tubing by the 50s getting drunk in the woods. :)

You thought this was the greatest thing since sliced bread when * was pushing it through Congress.

best co-pay on both generic and brand-name, $0 deductible annually, and is among the lowest monthly cost to belong to.

I think at $26/co-pay for generic for most drugs is about what most Private plans offer most people, right?

It could be cheaper, sure. But right now, ownership of assets (home, etc.) are NOT and SHOULD NOT be considered into receiving Part D at ANY rate. My guess is any ALLEGED improvement in the plan will just end up prying into elderly "assets"... and NOT offering prices that are much cheaper. How could they be? This Admin. (and its like) will NEVER give free medicine to the Elderly... unless under "experimental" conditioins. Medicare is NOT Medical, and should NOT be morphed into being so. The Elderly need to get nowehere NEAR a Welfare caseworker in order to get access to medical drugs.

Fucking slags.

because their head at the time was a GOP tool.

Those bastards sure lost me fast when they did that, and I know they lost a few of my neighbors at the same time. They lost so many members that the GOP tool got replaced.

The damage was done, though, and it's going to be hard as hell to get rid of this stinker of a "plan," so to hell with the AARP.

slugs in the White House.

weren't they the ones who vigorously endorsed the plan? My mom got literature from them touting the fiasco. WTF happened to change their minds?

Was AARP promised something for their endorsement? Did they not get what they want? The chimp is now telling them to stuff it.



Why should they reconsider? The chimp and the pharma industry got what they wanted. Fuck, I'm pissed at this. :grr:

They knew the drawbacks of the Medicare D plan, not being able to negotiate with drug firms over pricing, the fact that there were 50 gazillion different options all with different co-pays and discounts.
This was a fucking awful plan from the get-go. My theory is it's part of the Grover Norquist agenda for shrinking government so it can be drowned in the bath-tub. If most people give up on the plan, they can get rid of it and say that's the will of the people.
QED.

of this stupid and unreasonable plan. They slit their own throats on that one. I do feel bad though for the folks that are getting screwed......it's always the poorest of us that always get screwed with is administration. :grr:

Every time I got one of their solicitations in the past year, I have been using their postage paid envelope to tell them to go fuck themselves because of their support for this in the first place. The solicitations have stopped coming,

I would not consider joining them. I don't know if there is another, better, rival group that REALLY protects the interests of older Americans, but if there is, please inform.

and least they ARE doing something for all Americans, both young and old! :D www.aclu.org

:kick:

I have joined the ACLU, Count, am glad I did, and I highly recommend it, as you have.

I sent a protest e-mail to AARP back in Nov. 2003 for their endorsement of the Medicare prescription plan. Their new recommendations still don't go far enough. It's all about favoring the Insurance Companies over taxpayers and the elderly who are too infirm to fight for themselves.

Hey, I'm pissed at them too! What they did in backing this BS plan last year was inexcusable, aand played to THEIR own intrest (insurance co you know!) BUT, I've been thinking about some STRONG idea for our Dems to run on in 06. Reform of this "Drug Benefit?" would be a great one. People are hurting right now, it's a subject already in the media, it's a SORE SPOT with seniors (the BIGGEST voting block in the US!) and for disabled and all others who have been hit by this disaster.

AARP is avery powerful influence on the Hill, and the Dem candidates could benefit greatly from their support in the upcoming election.

The one part of their proposal AARP wants to reopen debate over a provision that would have directed health officials to negotiate directly with drug manufacturers over the prices they charge through the program. would be an easy change for our candidates to push. It would SAVE $$ to the program, save $$ for the participants, and it already has public support.

USE your enemies to YOUR advantage! It's fine to consider the AARP our enemy, but it's still to our advantage to use their power when we can!!!!

I too was disgusted when they endorsed the original plan but if they can help in changing the plan for the better, we should certainly let them.

and one thing I will say for ARRP is at least they recognize the horrible mistake they made and are trying to correct it which is a rare thing now days.

You wanna re-open debate about negotiating drug prices? You had your chance in 2003, now screw off.

money. Yes, money they would gain from their insurance company that peddles this drug benefit. In doing so they have left many thousands of seniors without their medicines. Espeically the ones that could not afford to join their program and backed this republican program and that is the DAMN SHAME.....

If I am correct there were either 10 or 14 dems that voted for this damn bill. If a democrat is afraid to fight for what is right, then get your sorry asses out of the congress. Hell, at least we would know how a damn repug is going to vote.....

We as democrats are going to have some accountability from our elected dems in congress.....

Far more honest than the crooks at AARP that stuck YOU with the Pill Bill!

http://www.retiredamericans.org/

and didn;t push hard for a real plan..back before the drug companies too the cream off the top.. They got CASH right away to fund their "study" and implementation of their scheme....seniors got some funky "pre-card" cards just in time for an election..and then (cue crickets chirping) nothing much until Jan 01 of this year.. I hope people have not forgotten this mess when Nov rolls around..

The Bush gang has messed up everything they touched so far..why would this be any different.

It was our "congress dinasaur" Nancy Johnson who was a BIG proponent of this legislation. WE WILL REMEMBER IN NOVEMBER NANCY!!! from a retired widow trying to live on Soc. Sec. I'd love to see Nancy come to my area of CT. and try to live on my budget! I haven't even picked a plan yet!!

:shrug:

I have an appointment with our Towns Social Service worker this week. I thought we had 'til May. I know after that, we have to pay a "penalty" whatever that may be! Clue me in if you know more about it?

... 1% per month for every month that you do not join up.

I have not enrolled in any programs either, since I take no prescription drugs.

However, suppose in 6 years, I DO take several medications. I have to ask myself if I want to pay a 72% penalty for NOT joining this year.

What a lousy bill this is.

I found out that,although I've been eligible for a drug program from the State of Ct. called "Conn Pace" for the last few years, if I decided to sign up for it now I would still have to sign up for Medicare part D to be able to apply for it. I'm one of the lucky ones, because the State pays my Medicare premium for me, I qualify for a program with no premiums, and I will only pay $2.00 for generic drugs, and $5.00 for name brand. They "say this" but I'm not sure I believe it after hearing horror stories from other poor people on S.S. from across the country. Think they are lying to us?????????:sarcasm: P.S. The only reason I have not as yet signed up for the Ct. program which guarantees that no prescription will be more than $16.00, is because I have a TERRIFIC Primary Care Dr. who has a heart, and has been keeping me in my drugs with SAMPLES for the past two years since I became a widow!!!:loveya:

from $150 per month to $750 per month. Tomorrow I am getting on the phone to see what we can do for her. Social Security gives her about $854 a month to live on. She is a cancer survivor and needs to continue to take these meds to keep herself cancer-free. I am fuming right now.

She called me this weekend and gave me the news and told me she might have to go without her medication.
My mother and I are going to keep her on her meds no matter what until we find a program that might help her out.

Have I said how much I hate these bastards lately! :mad:

How many are going to die before proper single-payer health coverage including medicine is going to be passed in CONGRESS?!?
Can Congress be accused of murder?
The so-called medicine act has only profited pharmaceutical corporations that only CARE about $$$$.
And to think they get free patents on drugs researched by the NIH, payed for by OUR TAX DOLLARS!

These days, they're more into selling insurance than anything else. Bunch of smoke & mirrors (not to mention it's not doable).

mikey_the_rat

:party:

If I were old enough to join AARP, I wouldn't!

Or I might join it just so I could terminate my membership!

I'm surprised you didn't get a lot of crap in the mail from them around your 50th birthday -- I sure did.

BTW -- happy birthday!

So the AARP stuff probably got tossed with the bulk of it.

And thanks for the birthday greeting!