Michigan seniors who struggled to figure out the new Medicare drug insurance program may be surprised to read U.S. Rep. Candice Miller's July 12 commentary ("Drug prescription plan works for seniors") asserting almost 1.3 million seniors in Michigan have signed up and suggesting Democrats tried to confuse seniors so they wouldn't enroll.

In fact, data released by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services shows that 376,773 Michiganders signed themselves up for drug plans by the May 15th deadline. They are now locked into coverage until 2007.

The number my colleague cited includes all seniors who had coverage prior to the new drug law, many of whom get coverage from sources other than Medicare. Of course, the vast majority of Michigan seniors -- over 500,000 beneficiaries -- get their drug coverage from their former private or public-sector employers.

Democrats have fought for Medicare drug coverage for many years, and we certainly have not tried to prevent enrollment. Democrats also continue to fight to force President Bush and Republican leaders to extend the enrollment deadline for locked-out seniors.

However, there are serious problems with the current drug program that Congress and the president should address. The new drug law prohibits Medicare from negotiating lower drug prices. Choosing a plan is confusing and difficult, and that problem has been made worse by poor information. The Government Accountability Office found that drug plan customer service representatives gave incomplete or inaccurate answers to 70 percent of callers' questions. Finally, the vast majority of the plans being offered in Michigan and across the country have a huge gap in coverage where beneficiaries are required to pay premiums, but don't get any drug coverage, a flaw many seniors may only discover when they enter the gap.

U.S. Rep. Sander Levin
D-Royal Oak

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