rebecca's pocket

» WP: The States Step In As Medicare Falters."[I]nterviews with two dozen people — state officials, pharmacists, advocates for seniors, and Medicare clients — revealed a host of problems. Many poor seniors were never enrolled or were enrolled in plans that do not cover their medications. Others received multiple insurance cards, creating confusion at the pharmacies. Some were charged the deductible and unaffordable co-payments. And some, such as Laurine League, left empty-handed." We could use some accountability here. (via rw)

Today the Bush administration directed insurers to provide a 30-day supply of any drug that a beneficiary was previously taking. "Despite these problems, Dr. McClellan said, Medicare is now covering one million prescriptions a day. With the latest corrective actions, he said, 'all beneficiaries should be able to get their prescriptions filled.' In the past, such predictions proved to be premature. New problems appeared as old ones were solved, and some insurers were slow to carry out federal instructions."