Originally published February 22 2006
Medicare's new drug plan already feels like a bust
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
The Seattle Times attempts to uncover what went wrong with Medicare's new prescription drug plan, which has devolved into a bureaucratic nightmare that has left millions of seniors without their drugs since taking effect at the beginning of the year.
As the Bush administration envisioned it, beginning Jan. 1, millions of Medicare beneficiaries would be able to go to their pharmacies and get hefty discounts on their prescriptions.
Computer-system operators were still frantically uploading the names and other information on tens of thousands of Medicare recipients.
Creation of the Medicare prescription-drug benefit, the biggest expansion of the health-care program for the elderly in decades, was to be the crown jewel of the Bush administration's domestic record --- the first large-scale test of its theory that the best way to deliver social services is through the private sector.
And before Jan. 1, administration officials confidently predicted that concerns about the complex program soon would evaporate.
Why was the system plunged into such confusion and uncertainty that hundreds of thousands of elderly Medicare recipients were in danger of not getting medication?
Critics in both political parties say senior officials brushed aside advance warnings.
In preparing for the launch, they made their plans on the basis of optimistic assumptions that things would go relatively smoothly.
And high officials were so committed to their vision that they resisted suggestions to modify the details of their strategy.
Gordon Smith, chairman of the Senate Special Committee on Aging, said last week.
"The administration had a lot of pride of ownership in the initial legislation," the Oregon Republican added, and anyone who suggested changes "was persona non grata."
But Congress, which approved the legislation largely along party lines, also shares in the blame.
For example, the Jan. 1 switch in drug coverage from Medicaid to Medicare for more than 6 million low-income seniors and disabled people was written into the legislation.
There were repeated warnings against trying to handle such a big transition so quickly, but the one-day switch remained.
All content posted on this site is commentary or opinion and is protected under Free Speech. Truth Publishing LLC takes sole responsibility for all content. Truth Publishing sells no hard products and earns no money from the recommendation of products. NaturalNews.com is presented for educational and commentary purposes only and should not be construed as professional advice from any licensed practitioner. Truth Publishing assumes no responsibility for the use or misuse of this material. For the full terms of usage of this material, visit www.NaturalNews.com/terms.shtml