Medicare drug plan may drive elections

From Cleveland Plain Dealer: 

The government helps millions of older and disabled Americans pay for their medicine - but whether Ohioans feel gratitude or anger about it may influence their vote on Election Day.

Sherrod Brown, the Democratic congressman from Avon, says many seniors feel betrayed by higher out-of-pocket expenses than they had expected under the new Medicare prescription drug program. A number of other congressional Democrats agree and say seniors could take it out on Republicans in November.

...Brown, who hopes to unseat DeWine in November, said in a Cleveland campaign stop with seniors earlier in the day that many are upset with the government plan, which is administered through private insurers. Brown voted against the drug benefit in the House, saying it was designed to help drug companies more than seniors.

"There's a lot of bait and switch in this program," Brown said.

"People are satisfied for a while, but then the drug plan drops the drug they need or they hit the 'doughnut hole.' "

That's when the plan and the member have spent $2,250 on drugs, and coverage stops. It resumes when the member alone spends a total of $3,600.

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08/02/2006 / Permalink / 2006, Medicare Part D, Seniors, (all tags)