Prescription Drug Coverage in America

My husband receives Social Security Disability Insurance Benefits, and in November, 2005, he received an application in the mail to apply for the new Medicaid Part D Prescription Drug Coverage Plan. As we understood the application, the information we supplied would be reviewed, and an independent insurance provider would be chosen for him that best suited his needs. This new company would off set the costs of his prescription medications and he should experience little to no difference in his out of pocket expense. He completed his application and mailed it back well within the deadline. Yet, when he attempted to re-fill his prescription medications in January, 2006, he was told that according to his computerized Medicaid records, he had no coverage at all. Along with nearly 100,000 other low or fixed income Americans, my husband had fallen into the cracks of a Governmentally imposed reform plan that was failing miserably. His Pharmacist explained that he was far from alone in this crisis, there were elderly people in the Nursing Homes that were without coverage for their prescription medications as well. There seemed to be no discrimination, everyone who had been receiving Medicaid coverage were screwed equally.

So how did this happen, exactly? Was there a vote? Did we miss a Press Release? Well, sort of. However, the memo was only sent to Vice President Dick Cheney, because only his vote mattered to President Bush. It was needed to break a tie on the Senate floor where five Republicans had dramatically lowered the temperature in Hell by opposing the President’s Deficit Reduction Act Of 2005. Before a snowball could get comfortable, Cheney took a red-eye flight back to the States from Pakistan on December 21 to cast his decisive vote. His vote gave the Republicans a 51-50 victory. His vote gave it to us in the shorts. The Deficit Reduction Act Of 2005 will increase the interest rate on college student’s loans, placing already low-income students in even more debt. It will literally take away billions in child support, and deny medical care to an estimated 100,000 people already in poverty. Way to go Cheney!

Okay, so who does this help? Well, if you slash social programs for the poor by $40 billion, and pay this toward to the $90 billion in new tax cuts – this would trickle down toâÂ?¦ well, wouldn’t you know it? The wealthy Americans who have incomes in excess of $1 million. And for an added kicker, when all the dust settles, the Deficit Reduction Act Of 2005 will increase the deficit by an estimated $50 billion. Now, that makes perfect sense, doesn’t it? President Bush was obviously using the same formula as he’d used when he formed the Clear Skies Act – which increased air pollution. Or was it the formula he used when implementing the Healthy Forest Initiative which made it legal to rape even more of our woodlands with clear-cutting? It’s so hard to tell, with such a genius mind at the helm of our Country!

So what can we do? If you’re one of the estimated 40 million of Americans without prescription medication coverage, or realizing that the private insurance providers that were assigned to you are doing too little, too late – there are some alternatives you can consider. Some of the plans and programs that I have researched are included with this article, however, there are hundreds in the marketplace. This is by no means an all inclusive list, it’s simply a place to help you get started.

Partnership for Prescription Assistance – You may have seen the commercial on television with Montel Williams as the spokesperson.
Website: http://www.pparx.org
Phone: 1-888-477-2669.

Rxassist – A huge resource of companies, organizations and agencies that provide prescription medication cost assistance. Find information about free and low cost medicine programs and other ways to manage your medication costs.
Website: http://www.rxassist.org/

Needy Meds – A resource for people who cannot afford medicine or other healthcare costs, NeedyMeds has information on nearly 800 programs.
Website: http://www.needymeds.com/

Be Careful! Always research the plan you may be interested in, the market is now ripe for fraud!

The Federal Trade Commission is working to crackdown on shysters making outrageous claims about free medicine. There are many legitimate companies that charge a reasonable fee for helping people who need assistance with getting their medicine through patient assistance programs. However, there are a few companies claiming to be able to help any person get any drug. They usually charge an outrageous fee and do not provide the drugs or information. You can read more about this at http://ftc.gov/opa/2005/10/myfreemed.htm