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Thursday, January 26, 2006
medicare’s flawed prescription
For the past few months, my offices have been flooded with calls from Iowa seniors who are confused and disappointed by the new Medicare prescription drug benefit. Many seniors have reported being denied benefits at the pharmacy. Additionally, mismanagement by the insurance companies and the administration has made it difficult to sign up for the plan. All over the state, seniors have become frustrated as they try to sift through a dizzying array of plans to find the coverage they need.
I voted against this prescription drug plan, because I knew that it would not give seniors what they wanted: a simple, reliable benefit that guaranteed low drug prices. By deciding to pay insurance companies billions of dollars to design and administer their own plans, the Republican Congress created an unnecessarily complicated system. As a result, Iowa seniors must pick between over 40 prescription drug plans, all of which offer different benefit designs and drug prices.
Another flaw in this program is that it prevents Medicare from negotiating with pharmaceutical companies to get the lowest possible drug prices. That just does not make any sense. The Veterans’ Administration negotiates with drug companies to get the best prices for veterans. Medicare should be able to do the same for seniors.
Like many Iowans, I am frustrated and disappointed that seniors are struggling to get the prescription drug coverage they need to stay healthy. If you need help, please call one of my offices and we will try connect you with the right services. Here in the Senate, I am currently working to fix some of the problems people have experienced. I sponsored a bill to give seniors an additional eight months to choose between plans. I also sponsored a proposal to ensure low-income seniors eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid receive medications while their enrollment in a plan is being finalized. Congress must do more provide seniors with what they want – a simple benefit that offers low prices.
