H.R. 752, S.B. 873

[question everything]

While in California last week, I picked a copy of Senior Life and read an interesting report by Marvin Schachter about the problems with new Medicare drug benefits. Unfortunately I cannot find it online but here are his main points:

- Formularies can be changed by the benefit management companies totally on their own and at any time, but patients can switch programs only once a year, thus can be stuck with changed drugs.

- Prices can be changed by the benefit companies. Patients can be stuck with high costs.

- The "donuts" which really do not make sense. Medicare will not pay for drugs that cost between $2250 and $5100 a year. (I never understood this concept).

He cites an LAT editorial from December that proposed bills that would allow Medicare itself to become a competitor, armed with the power to bargain for discounts as the VA already does successfully.

He concludes that there are already bills in Congress, and urges the readers to write our Congressional representatives to support S.B. 873 and H.R. 752.