Democrats running for Congress this fall must emphasize, over and over, that the Medicare Part (D)isaster bill was pushed by the Republicans and has been a huge boon for one group: pharmaceutical companies, because the bill BARRED Medicare from negotiating lower drug prices.
WaPo: Bills Soar As Many Hit Gap in Drug Plan
Medicare Provision Jolts Some Seniors
Although the Medicare handbook clearly describes the coverage break, critics say most Medicare recipients, bombarded with advertising from private prescription plans, focused on deductibles and premiums and the drugs included.
"There was a lot of emphasis on signing up seniors. It was a crusade almost," said Stuart Guterman, a Medicare expert with the nonpartisan Commonwealth Fund. He doubts that many companies highlighted the doughnut hole in their marketing push. "That's not a selling point," he said.
Previous posts:
Medicare Part (D)isaster Doughnut Hole Is Here (May 21, 2006)
'Part D is a complex system of subsidies to private insurance companies' (May 15, 2006)
Medicare Part (D)isaster Penalties: Will Rethugs Blink? (May 13, 2006)
Bush To Old People: Drop Dead (May 10, 2006)
Medicare Part (D)isaster, Incompetently Administered, Misleading Poor Seniors (May 7, 2006)
Most Severely Ill Senior Citizens Already in Medicare Part (D)isaster Doughnut Hole (April 27, 2006)
Medicare Part (D)isaster: Watch Out For That Hole (April 12, 2006)
President Out-of-Touch Moron Meets the Seniors (March 19, 2006)
Medicare Part (D)isaster: Making the Mentally Ill Sicker (February 6, 2006)
Medicare Part (D)isaster Creating Havoc at Social Security Administration (February 4, 2006)
Right Wing Blogs Exhibit Myopia Over Medicare Part D(isaster) (January 24, 2006)
Medicare Part (D)isaster (January 20, 2006)
Operation Photo Op, Medicare Part D edition, 1.0 (January 18, 2006)
'Horrific at Best' (January 9, 2006)
The Incompetence, The Corruption, and The Cronyism: Sunday, January 8, 2006 (January 8, 2006)
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