Seniors are being warned to “look
before they leap” into the new Medicare Prescription Drug Plan, beware of the potential “bait and switch”
Winnipeg,
MB-With the announcement by the Center for MedicareServices that 10
companies will be providing Part D plans nationwide, along with
numerous other companies providing plans regionally,
www.UniversalDrugStore.com is advising seniors to be cautious
and aware before agreeing to sign up for a plan.
”It is the old adage, ‘look before you leap’, because once a plan is
chosen you will be locked in until the enrollment period the
following year,” explains Jeff Uhl, President and CEO of
www.UniversalDrugStore.com .
“All the while
the plan provider has the right to switch details of the plan at any
time, including which drugs will be covered, but you are still
committed into this potentially substandard plan for at least a
year,” Uhl says.
"This is just
one of a series of ways that the legislation authorizing the new
Medicare Prescription Drug Plan was written to benefit drug
companies, insurance companies and pharmacy benefit managers," says
Uhl. "That is why we feel that PDP stands for Prescription Drug
Profits not Prescription Drug Plan.”
Uhl says that
the announcement that there will be many different plans, varying
from state to state with up to 37 plans in some states, illustrates
the maze of confusion that could have potentially harmful effects
upon America's elderly.
"It's similar to
the old 'bait and switch' of a disreputable business that lures
customers in with a promise of a certain priced good or service and
then deftly switches the arrangement to their advantage," Uhl says.
Because of that,
www.UniversalDrugStore.com is stepping up its outreach to
America's seniors to illustrate to them that there are options and
to not buckle to the increased pressure to join a plan that may not
be to their advantage.
Starting
November 15, 2005, intense pressure and campaigning will begin for
these ill conceived plans, causing some seniors to become anxious,
especially when they discover how complex the decisions will be.
“It is beyond
belief that the Medicare Office is threatening to increase premiums
for those seniors who delay joining a plan after May 2006,” states
Uhl. “However, it is clear that seniors will save the most on their
prescription drugs by continuing to purchase prescription drugs from
Canadian pharmacies until that May 2006 deadline.
"Ironically,
many seniors will continue to save more by purchasing their
prescription drugs from licensed Canadian pharmacies, even if they
join a plan and pay the lowest possible premium, than they would if
they purchased their drugs through Medicare Part D plans," Uhl
explains.
Uhl points to
other problems that could create difficulties for Seniors because of
the large number of plans being offered:
1. Will a
plan cover the beneficiary if they travel outside their plan’s
coverage region?
2. Will
your regular pharmacy be included in the plans network of pharmacies
or will the beneficiary have to purchase from a designated pharmacy?
3. Will all
the medications you require be covered, and how will the plan
guarantee access to your drugs when plan administrators have the
right to change the plan and the terms of coverage at any time?
4. Since
Congress defeated moves to negotiate lower prices, how
will the price
for a prescription drug be determined? Will they follow the current
pattern in which drug companies continue to raise the prices of
drugs in the U.S. significantly more than the rate of inflation?
"American
seniors are guaranteed a much more solid, yet flexible ‘plan’ by
working with a licensed Canadian pharmacy, such as Universal
Drugstore, than can be offered by any Medicare Part D prescription
drug plan," Uhl says.
"We are proud
that
www.UniversalDrugStore.com covers seniors wherever they might be
located, with no restrictions on access based on geographic
designations,” Uhl states.
”There are other advantages to continuing to purchase prescription
drugs from Canada: Seniors have freedom of choice in selecting us
or another pharmacy. We continue to offer all prescription drugs
available, even in light of attempts by large drug companies to
restrict America's elderly access to vital prescriptions. And,
finally, our prices are based upon the Canadian pricing system which
makes it impossible for large drug companies to arbitrarily set
prices that place profits before people," Uhl says.
"That is why we
are confident that large numbers of America's seniors will make the
smart choice and continue to purchase prescription drugs from safe,
reliable Canadian pharmacies such as ours as a better option to the
flawed Pandora's Box called Medicare Part D"
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