An editorial and two opinion pieces published recently show the flaws of the new Medicare prescription drug benefit…reports from The Kaiser Foundation

• Burlington Free Press: In response to the confusion over the launch of the new Medicare prescription drug benefit in the past week, Congress should approve "no-brainer" legislation that would extend from May 15 to the end of 2006 the deadline for beneficiaries to enroll in the program and would allow beneficiaries to change prescription drug plans one time during that period without penalty, a Free Press editorial states. According to the Free Press, "It's likely that members of Congress who have been reluctant to extend the deadline for enrolling in the program got an earful from Medicare recipients during their holiday break home," and, as they "get back to work in Washington, they ought to do what is right for seniors and others who rely on this program for life-saving drugs" (Burlington Free Press, 1/9).
• Kirk Caraway, Nevada Appeal: The Medicare prescription drug benefit might "be the biggest boondoggle in American history," Carraway, online editor of the Appeal, writes in an opinion piece. According to Caraway, in return for an estimated cost of between $724 billion and $1.2 trillion, Medicare beneficiaries have received a prescription drug benefit "that in many instances isn't any cheaper than buying prescriptions at Costco," and "Congress didn't even bother to come up with a way to pay for it." He writes that voters must hold lawmakers "feet to the fire for every instance when they act against our best interests," adding that lawmakers "can start by repealing this drug bill and replacing it with something that makes sense" (Caraway, Nevada Appeal, 1/8).
• Lisa Doggett, New York Times: The Medicare prescription drug benefit has "serious deficiencies" -- such as a provision under which the federal government cannot negotiate discounts on medications directly with pharmaceutical companies -- but beneficiaries can obtain "a myriad of savings" by "asking the right questions and comparing plans," Doggett, a family physician, writes in a Times opinion piece. According to Doggett, "Choosing a plan is an overwhelming and cumbersome task," but "it is worth taking the time to understand the options and investigate possible savings." She writes that Medicare beneficiaries should compare the prescription drug formularies for the "best" few available plans and discuss those options with their physicians or pharmacists before they make a selection. "Even those who have already joined plans can still save money" through the use of less-expensive medications included in the prescription drug formularies of their plans, Doggett adds (Doggett, New York Times, 1/10).