Vicki Gottlich, an attorney with the Center for Medicare Advocacy, described some of the disturbing consequences of Medicare’s mind-numbing Part D prescription drug plan in a story by Ruth Mantell of Marketwatch:
The program’s complexities affect the ability of beneficiaries to understand the program, choose plans, pay premiums, benefit appropriately from the low-income subsidy, and utilize the exceptions and appeals process … Some analysts have concluded that having to choose among many options creates a burden on beneficiaries and increases their difficulty in making an informed and meaningful decision.
Gottlich added that Part D’s “complexity” makes it “ripe for marketing abuses,” and that the elderly can “easily fall prey to unscrupulous sales agents.” A frequent scam has been to tell beneficiaries that they are required to have a home visit, and then to engage in a hard sell at the residence.
This is only a taste of what seniors face with this complicated, error-filled program. Granted, no system is perfect, but the outcry of millions of seniors needs to be heard.
