Copyright America's Seniors at www.TodaysSeniorsNetwork.com 2000-2007                                                             Contact us by clicking here
 




Home
AARP Push 2007
AARP Support
Advantage Disenrollment
Advantage Plans Target
Alarm Over Cuts
AMA Says Block Cuts
Avoid Expensive Plans
Advantage Plan Costs
Bi-Partisan Support
Bush Cuts Opposed
Cancer Drug Costs Up
Caregiving Continuity
Change Advantage Marketing
Change in Part D Payments
CMS Reforms Urged
Costly Advantage Plans
(Dis)Advantage Plans
Doughnut Hole Grows
Doughnut Hole Impact
GOP Opposes Negotiation
Handbook Misleads
Higher Cancer Drug Cost
Hospital Compare
Information  Gaps
Cancer Drs. Revolt
CMS Cuts Insurance Company
Cuts Averted
Doughnut Hole Gap
Donut Hole Grows
Doughnut Hole Limits D Use
Doughnut Hole Troublesome
Drs. Seek Action
Durable Equipment Fraud
End 2-Year Wait
E-Prescribing Push
E-Prescribing Support
Equipment Fraud Target
Home Care Suggestions
Humana Advantage Abuses
Humana Greed
Jerry Seeks Delay
Locking In Plans
Lowering Costs
Low-Income Concerns
Lower Screen Rates
Low-Income Enrollment
McCaskill Confronts CMS
Means Test Proposed
Medical Care Delayed
Medicare Advantage Fraud
Medicare Advantage Abuses
Medicare Advantage Hearing
Medicare Low Grades
Medicare Q&A
Medicare Advantage Waste
Medicare Enrollment Countdown
Medicare Funding Gap
medicine_info.htm
Med Spending Up
McClellan to Resign
Medicare Fraud Crackdown
Medicare Helps Clients
Medicare is Answer
Meds Management
Minnesota Meeting
More Part D Increases?
MRC President
Negotiations Favored
Negotiations Suppport
Negotiation Support
New CMS Cuts
MCS Project Savings
Medicare in Crisis
Obama Support Urged
Off-Label Drugs
Off-Label Law Suit
Ohio Cuts Rapped
One Vote Short
Oregon Seniors Hurt
Part D, Alternatives
Programs Hurting
Other Medicare News
Part D Change Urged
Part D Impact Study
Part D More Costly
Part B Increase
Part D Comparison Tool
Part D Enrollments
Part D Premiums Up
Plans Fail
Older Patients Pay More
Payments to Dead Doctors
Protection Lacking
MD Pay Reduction
Part A Jeporady
Part B Increase
Part D Options Fewer
Part D Payments Costly
Part D Premiums Up
Part D Roller Coaster
Physicians to Opt-Out
Plan Advice Available
Premium Cut Possible
Premiums Near $100
Price Negotiation Support
Profits Soar
Pushing Advantage Plans
Ratings Challenged
Reevaluate Drug Plans
Reimbusement Suit
Reimportation Benefit Part D
Removing Mobility
Repayment Concerns
Repayment Halted
Residents, Part D
Restore Cuts Urged
Review Plans
Rights Center Honored
Satisfaction Survey
Solvency Issue Ignored
SS Payments at Risk
Stopping Bush Cuts
STOP Fraud
Stopping Overpayments
Sustainable Growth
Too Complicated
Unequal Payments
Uninsured Costs
Vets Like Program
Waiver Sought
$155B Pharma Lobbying
Bush Cut Impact Spreads
$5 Billion Caregiving Cut
Medicare Bill Passed
Waxman Challenges CMS
Website Criticized

 

 

 

 

Google
 

 

Web TodaysSeniorsNetwork.com

 

New Service for TodaysSeniorsNetwork.com readers...roll mouse over, click on highlighted links in stories to review items from Amazon

 

Consumer protections sorely lacking for older and disabled Americans enrolled in  Medicare Private Drug Plans, Consumer Group testifies  -- Legislation needed to ensure that both CMS and private drug plans fulfill Congress’ intent to provide meaningful protections for people in plans

New York, NY –   Older and disabled Americans enrolled in Medicare private drug plans lack consumer protections needed to guarantee access to prescription drugs at affordable prices, the Medicare Rights Center testified today at a hearing of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Ways and Means Subcommittee on Health.  

Problems continue to plague the Medicare drug benefit program eighteen months after it took effect, testified the Medicare Rights Center, a national consumer service group. 

 

Enrollees in the Medicare drug benefit, available only through private drug plans, are still having difficulty securing – and maintaining – enrollment in an appropriate Medicare private drug plan, accessing affordable medicines through the low-income subsidy known as “Extra Help,” and getting needed medicine through Medicare private drug plans.  

“Congress must ensure that people with Medicare have due process protections that govern decisions made by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and Medicare private drug plans,” said Robert M. Hayes, an attorney and president of the Medicare Rights Center. “It’s common sense, basic fairness and a requirement of constitutional law.” 

Several consumer issues beleaguering the Medicare drug benefit program were highlighted in testimony provided by Paul Precht, deputy policy director at the Medicare Rights Center, including: rampant computer system problems among Medicare, private drug plans and Social Security that cause problems with plan enrollment, plan premiums and low-income status; people with the right to disenroll from Medicare private health plans that include the drug benefit, such as victims of private plan marketing abuse, are waiting months to get their coverage corrected; low-income people who change drug plans discover that the subsidy is not in effect in the new plan; and the drug appeals process is cumbersome, unfair and vulnerable to obstructionist tactics by the Medicare private drug plans.   

The Medicare Rights Center testimony and recommendations for these and other problems are available online at www.medicarerights.org/waysandmeans_testimony_06212007.pdf.

 



 

 

Home
Up
About Us
America's Seniors WebMall
Aging News
California Report
Caregiving
Community/Workplace
Fitness,Health
Grandparents
Health Care Policy
Hispanic Seniors
Contents/Sitemap
Prescription Drugs
Pharma Suits
Restaurant Reviews
Rural Seniors
Safety & Security
Seniors Commentary
Seniors' Entertainment
Seniors Headlines
Seniors Finances
Seniors' Issues
Seniors Relationships
Seniors Rights
Social Security News
The Virtual Family
Travel News
TSN Radio on Web
Veterans' Tribute
White House Cards
Privacy Policy
Consumer Alert
Pull Plug Heat Costs

 

 

 To Contact Us, Click here
Copyright (C) 1999-2010 TodaysSeniorsNetwork.com