Medicare is – yet again – the subject of fierce debate among our leaders.
The latest point of contention is a drug program for senior citizens that’s been criticized for coverage gaps and an overly confusing array of available plans.
I’d like to think our golden generation deserves better than such a questionable system of getting the drugs they need. Rather than the government controlling their coverage, insurance companies are in control, and they’re confusing the hell out of less-affluent elders who are merely trying to obtain the drugs they need to stay healthy.
The so-called benefit plan subsidizes medication costs for the elderly and disabled through plans created by private insurers, according to The Associated Press, and though it has been the law for nearly three years, it has only been in effect since January. Seniors still have until May 15 to sign up before higher premiums are enforced. The most unfortunate drawback so far has been a temporary lapse in coverage for many seniors during the plan’s introductory phase.
Last week, President Bush campaigned to cast a more favorable light on the drug program, according to the AP. In several panel discussions and speeches in east coast states, Bush asked seniors to consider the benefits of the new program. But at this stage, it’s damage control in order to quell the congressional election-year debate between Democrats and Republicans.
There have been more than a few bumps in the road since the enactment of this plan. At a press conference last month, Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., complained that there are 40 insurers offering coverage in Montana alone, and that the program must be streamlined and standardized, according to ABC News. Sounds like a reasonable request to me, but, as we all know, party lines are often too thick for reason to penetrate.
Democrats have said the plan is too confusing, and even some Republicans have found fault with it as well. Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, has reservations about how the program is working and pressed for legislation that allows the government to negotiate for better drug prices. Right now, all the power is in the hands of insurance companies, and that’s definitely not where it should be.
House and Senate Democrats have been attacking the plan through some campaigning of their own, which surely had something to do with Bush’s recent public relations onslaught.
On Feb. 28, Democrats outlined concerns raised by seniors at nearly 100 Medicare town hall meetings across the country, according to The Washington Post. They weren’t asking to scrap the new drug coverage altogether, but they said they believe the system needs changes. Their requests seem to be in the best interest of the people, rather than serving the insurance businesses, and it’s unfortunate the Republican majority probably won’t pay attention to their concerns.
Congressional Democrats have proposed several changes to the benefit, according to The Washington Post, chief of which is a six-month delay to the May 15 deadline for seniors to enroll. Missing the deadline would force senior citizens to pay a monthly fee if they decide to enroll later.
Additionally, numerous Democrats have pointed out the benefits of giving Medicare the authority to negotiate drug prices and import drugs from abroad.
Canada, for example, has much more competitive prices for its prescription drugs. Democrats also want to remove subsidies that the program pays, especially to managed-care plans.
As a Democrat, I admittedly have a predisposition to listen to the concerns of party leaders. As a human being, however, I’m also inclined to want what is best for our seniors. I may be young and healthy now, but I’ll probably require some help with medical bills in my senior years, and I don’t see prescription coverage getting any better in this country if we don’t do something now.
I hope when I reach retirement age, someone is watching out for my medical needs – someone other than an insurance company, that is.
-Gaia Veenis is a journalism senior and is the senior opinion columnist for The Daily Aztec.
–This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Daily Aztec. Send e-mail toletters@thedailyaztec.com. Anonymous letters will not be printed – include your full name, major and year in school.
