Originally published December 3 2005
Coalition files suit against Medicare for disruption in drug plan
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
Consumer groups, including the Medicare Rights Center, filed suit against Medicare in a Manhattan district court, claiming that certain computer database problems will leave many poor seniors without drug coverage come Jan. 1.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which administers the program, had no immediate response.
The transfer of these beneficiaries to new coverage is one of the most delicate transitions under the complex prescription drug benefit, the centerpiece of President Bush's Medicare overhaul.
The consumer groups want to force the government to develop stronger safeguards for 6.4 million elderly and disabled beneficiaries who now get prescriptions through Medicaid and medical services through Medicare.
The law that created the Medicare drug benefit called for these poor and frail beneficiaries to enroll in a drug plan before Jan. 1, when their Medicaid prescription coverage is set to expire.
Coordination issues and computer problems involving federal and state databases of beneficiaries guarantee that there will be bureaucratic problems, the lawsuit alleged.
"It is virtually certain that on Jan. 1, 2006, some dual eligibles will not be receiving prescription drug coverage under [Medicare]," the lawsuit said.
"We want to ensure that a safety net is in place for the neediest Americans, who are at risk of losing their access to medicines," said Robert M. Hayes, president of the Medicare Rights Center, a nonprofit independent information resource on Medicare issues.
What makes this transition so perilous is the nature of the people affected: They are very old, they are very sick, and they are extremely poor."
But federal and state policymakers are reluctant to incur extra costs.
In California, senior and disabled beneficiaries making the transition are being advised to get a 100-day supply of prescriptions from Medi-Cal before the end of the year, in case of any problems.
While the transition for the poorest and frailest beneficiaries is supposed to be complete by Jan. 1, open enrollment for most other seniors begins Tuesday and runs through May 15.
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