Bush's Mediacare Drug Card

[Sparx]

ANOTHER FALSE PROMISE: BUSH'S MEDICARE DRUG CARD

With the Bush Administration touting the new Medicare drug card today, John Kerry issued the following statement:

"I applaud any effort to help families save even one dollar on prescription drugs but the new prescription drug card the Bush Administration is offering does not provide the kind of real discounts that seniors need to afford their medications. I support a real prescription drug card that demands that savings get passed on to all seniors. But a card alone won't ease the burden on our seniors. We also need other, real cost containment measures, such as re-importation and allowing the federal government to negotiate better prices with the drug companies. As President, helping all seniors afford prescription drugs will be among my top priorities."

THE FOLLOWING ARE SOME KEY FACTS ABOUT THE NEW MEDICARE DRUG CARD:

1) THE MEDICARE DISCOUNT CARD IS OFTEN MORE EXPENSIVE THAN WHAT IS AVAILABLE TO SENIORS TODAY. The discount card that Bush is touting actually offers prices that are higher than what is available on the market today for many drugs. Seniors also must pay an annual fee for the drug card, so they will pay higher prices for some drugs.

Prices with Medicare Savings Card vs. Current Prices [All price comparisons in this report are drawn from "New Medicare Drug Cards Offer Few Discounts", Minority Staff, Committee on Government Reform, U.S. House of Representatives, April 2004.]

Prices under Medicare Savings Card Current Prices without Savings Card
Drug Pharmacy Care Alliance RxSavings Drugstore.com Federal Supply Schedule
Lipitor (10mg, 30 cap) $71.19 $74.72 $62.99 $40.10
Prevacid (30mg, 30 cap) $130.68 $147.01 $120.99 $53.90
Zocor (40 mg, 30 tap) $128.69 $124.32 $123.99 $69.27
Aricept (10 mg, 30 cap) $139.11 $132.39 $127.99 $76.51

These four drugs are all among the top ten most popular drugs. In addition to the higher prices, Pharmacy Care Alliance charges a $19 annual fee. The RxSavings card charges a $29.95 annual fee. Yet both cards make it more expensive to buy a market basket of the ten most popular drugs. That market basket would only cost $959 from Drugstore.com. It would cost $1,046 from RxSavings, and $1,061 from Pharmacy Care Alliance.

2) THE PRICES FROM THE DRUG DICOUNT CARD ARE FAR MORE EXPENSIVE THAN WOULD BE AVAILABLE IF BUSH WOULD SIGN REAL REIMPORTATION: American drugs produced by American companies are much less expensive for Canadian Seniors. Republicans fought real reimportation.

Canadian Prices vs. Medicare Savings Card Prices for Four Popular Drugs

Prices under Medicare Savings Card Current Prices
Drug Pharmacy Care Alliance RxSavings Canada
Lipitor (10mg, 30 cap) $71.19 $74.72 $49.85
Prevacid (30mg, 30 cap) $130.68 $147.01 $56.54
Zocor (40 mg, 30 tap) $128.69 $124.32 $63.98
Aricept (10 mg, 30 cap) $139.11 $132.39 $119.04


3) DRUG MANAGERS CAN POCKET THE MONEY. Even though George Bush's misleading ads try to convince seniors that they will save money, the truth is that prescription drug companies are not required to offer seniors a minimum discount. In fact, companies offering the new card have to pass on a "share" of the rebates they receive but they don't have to pass on all of it - and they don't have to tell beneficiaries about how much of the discount they are pocketing. Insurance companies also are not required to disclose drug prices before the supposed reductions are imposed. Already, drug companies are hiking up their prices in anticipation of the "discount" they might offer.

4) ONE CHOICE, ONE CHANCE. Insurance companies can change which drugs are covered and the amount of discounts offered any time they want. However, seniors can only choose one card instead of using numerous cards to increase savings. Also, seniors will be prohibited from changing cards for one year. Once seniors are locked into a card, they can't switch - even if they find greater discounts with another card or the insurance companies

That doesn't sound like the promise the President made when he was campaigning in 2000. Then, he criticized the Democrats saying: "The Gore plan offers seniors one choice, one chance, one option. I offer seniors the prescription drug coverage they need, and the options they deserve." (Santa Fe New Mexican, 10/31/00). But now seniors get their one chance to make a risky choice, while insurance companies have free reign to change their plans and their prices.

5) PRIVACY AT RISK. Insurance companies participating in the drug card program can collect seniors' medical information, including which drugs they're buying, when and where they're purchasing drugs, and what they're paying. And how will this information be used? Insurers can base coverage decisions on this data in 2006 and afterwards - putting high-cost beneficiaries at risk of being refused coverage by companies wanting to protect their bottom line.

6) THE MEDICARE BILL IS A SPECIAL INTEREST GRAB-BAG. From start to finish, the Medicare Bill has been a scandalous giveaway to the drug industry. The White House withheld information about the actual cost of the bill and then tried to silence the Medicare Actuary from disclosing the true cost of the bill. The GAO has criticized the ad campaign intended to promote the benefit as misleading. The bill bans the federal government from using its buying power to negotiate lower prices. An ethics investigation is looking into whether House leaders tried to intimidate and bribe Rep. Nick Smith into voting for the bill.

BTW, This is not copyrighted material. It is intended to be distributed as an educational political release.

 

[FromTexas]

That is talking about the medicare savings card not the prescription benefit plan that begins in 2006. The card isn't Bush's way of saving Seniors the costs of prescriptions - its the minimal way if a senior chooses that over higher plan levels. Don't you love it when your handlers convince you otherwise, Sparx. Under Bush's plan, those who are up to 150% of the poverty level pay anywhere from nothing to about half of what others pay. Those over it pay a $250 deductible, a 25% co-insurance plus a monthly premium up to $2,250 spent. They then pay for everything from $2,250 to $3,600. After $3,600 spent they pay 5%. That means they get approx $15,000 in drugs for $4,000.

This plan was cheaper then the one Democrats wanted, but the Democrats are blasting him over the costs on it and want more. Makes little sense, doesn't it?

In addition, any insurance plan has you make a choice for one year (its part of being able to predict costs) and can't change it, there are tons of choices for cards in the plan you mentioned (many ranging with discounts higher then the above), at low income levels still well above poverty the government pays for the card and may even provide up to an additional $600 to help pay costs.

So -- all around -- you still don't have a clue.

 

[Sparx]

Originally posted by FromTexas
That is talking about the medicare savings card not the prescription benefit plan that begins in 2006. The card isn't Bush's way of saving Seniors the costs of prescriptions - its the minimal way if a senior chooses that over higher plan levels. Don't you love it when your handlers convince you otherwise, Sparx. Under Bush's plan, those who are up to 150% of the poverty level pay anywhere from nothing to about half of what others pay. Those over it pay a $250 deductible, a 25% co-insurance plus a monthly premium up to $2,250 spent. They then pay for everything from $2,250 to $3,600. After $3,600 spent they pay 5%. That means they get approx $15,000 in drugs for $4,000.

This plan was cheaper then the one Democrats wanted, but the Democrats are blasting him over the costs on it and want more. Makes little sense, doesn't it?

In addition, any insurance plan has you make a choice for one year (its part of being able to predict costs) and can't change it, there are tons of choices for cards in the plan you mentioned (many ranging with discounts higher then the above), at low income levels still well above poverty the government pays for the card and may even provide up to an additional $600 to help pay costs.

So -- all around -- you still don't have a clue.

If you want to talk about the prescription plan why don't you start a thread on the subject instead of changing the subject I started here.

 

[FromTexas]

Well then. Let's talk about the prescription drug card. It provides an additional $600 in assistance to those at 150% of the poverty level or less (even some higher above poverty in some circumstances) and which of the many different cards is being used for the comparison up there? When I went to the medicare site and put in my local info on the search (as if I were a senior citizen), I got over 40 choices for a card - each one treats everything a little different.

My first response is perfectly appropriate when dealing with liberals trying to criticize Bush on dealing with the prescription problems of senior citizens.

If you can't handle the truth, stop playing around conservatives.