Bloggers are busy with this topic. Look at Dailykos and Americablog. I have found some amazingly well informed people making comments (and telling horror stories) in some of the blogs. Please read, and if you are unfamiliar with these blogs in general, take time and look around. They are the best!

First, some diaries, etc. from Dailykos -
One, Two, Three


And at Americablog there is an amazing couple of comments in this post
Does the Bush team plan or organize anything, ever?

Here is an excerp, two excellent comments:

"All of the worst predictions came true,"

Thanks very much for posting this. You should keep track and post something on it once in awhile.

It is worse than the article indicates.

First, the bill's povisions for dual eligibles are a farce. Dual eligibles are elderly in both Medicaid and Medicare and are usually in bad shape, as article says -often have mental illness or severly handicapped, or demented or speak poor English, often with no relatives or legal guardian readily available. There were restrictions on anyone except a legal guardian advising them on which program would be best to sign up for. Then, as article states, CMS sent out official information that was wrong. That was SOOOO helpful. Many nursing home staff, social workers, doctors, pharmacists, etc. were hesitant to provide counseling to dual eligibles in fear of getting in trouble over the provisions prohibiting guidance toward specific programs.

But, OK, the best part is coming. Any dual eligible who did not choose a program would be RANDOMLY assigned to one of the programs available in the area, without regard to whether the program provided drugs they needed, or whether they could afford them.

I just wonder who thought up that scheme. Probably the special pharmacy benefit managemkent companies (ie, administrative profit skimming sharks) that had to be set up specially for the program. That was a stroke of genius by this administration: force opporunity for some take, er, rakings, er "value added efficiency" by requiring an extra layer of middle management money sharks.

The bill also rigged the reimbursement to favor large mail order and regional pharmacy benefit operations rather than onsite pharmacies or docs, which would be in better position to monitor patients' needs and whether they were getting good service.

So even if the program had worked perfectly, it would have been a mess. And probably a rip off for many dual eligibles.

Second, everyone knew there were going to be big problems, and CMS keep promising fixes, but did nothing. Pharmacy students were organizing emergency programs to get people signed up so they wouldn't be randomly assigned, pharmacy associations, doctors and nursing homes were raising holy hell.

Some pharmacies are taking advantage of the situation, as article indicates, others are footing bill to $250 K per store and more to provide needed medication for this month (and for how longer if things don't get fixed next month?) and hoping CMS will pay up eventually. I forget if article mentioned that things are so bad in one state that it declared a public health emergency over this (I forget which state).

A complete mess that people saw it coming, and Bush administration provided big talk and no action. just like Katrina.

But so what, you are only killing, and hurting and bankrupting poor people and small businesses? What the hell? You snooze you lose, right? Probably see Fox news bigshots making fun of demented old people raving because they are off their medications any day now. I can see "Ha ha ha, that old bag looks funny having a seizure. What a hoot. I bet that lucky ducky gets some kind of fat government subsidy to lie in that rest home that always smells a little bit like piss."

True mess. Thanks for covering it.
anon | 01.14.06 - 3:50 am | #

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The mission is to show that government programs don't work and must be privatized. This is done by partially privatizing the public programs and pretending it works.
BOING!!!!!!!!!

  ¶ 10:46 PM