Participants Satisfied with Medicare Drug Program
but 20% Had Major Problem
Survey shows drug benefit 'not the catastrophe many
critics had predicted'
July 28, 2006 - More than eight in 10 seniors who
are enrolled in Medicare drug plans are satisfied with their plans,
while nearly two in 10 who have used their plans report experiencing a
major problem with them, according to a tracking survey released on
Thursday by the
Kaiser Family
Foundation, the
AP/San Francisco
Chronicle reports (Bridges, AP/San Francisco Chronicle,
7/28).
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Now 46% higher than prices negotiated by Department of Veteran Affairs
June 21, 2006 - Over the past five months,
virtually all Medicare (Part D) plans raised their prices for the top
drugs prescribed to senior citizens, according to a report issued
yesterday by the health consumer organization Families USA. The report,
based on pricing data submitted by the plans to the federal government,
contradicts the Bush Administration's assertions that the new Medicare
drug program is effectively moderating rising drug costs, according to
Families USA.
Read more...
The survey tracks the experiences of 1,585 seniors
ages 65 and older -- including 623 seniors enrolled in Medicare
prescription drug plans -- who were interviewed between June 8 and June
18 (Kaiser Family Foundation
release,
7/27).
The survey also finds that about one-third, or 34%,
of seniors who have used their drug plans have experienced what they
perceived as problems, including 18% who described them as "major"
problems and 16% who described them as "minor" problems.
The experiences cited as problems included having
unexpected costs, not being able to fill a prescription at the pharmacy,
not receiving an enrollment card and having to change medications
because a prescription is not covered (Abruzzese,
CQ HealthBeat,
7/27).
Ninety percent of seniors who experienced minor
problems and 55% who experienced major problems feel the issues were
resolved satisfactorily. Among seniors who have used their plans, 27% of
those in fair or poor health report experiencing major problems,
compared with 12% of those in excellent or very good health (AP/San
Francisco Chronicle, 7/28).
Today's Headlines
Additional Findings
The survey also examines seniors' overall opinions of the drug benefit,
their drug costs under the program and their knowledge of the doughnut
hole coverage gap, under which seniors must pay 100% of total
prescription drug costs between $2,250 and $5,100.
According to the survey, 35% of seniors enrolled in
Medicare drug plans say the drug benefit "could be improved with some
minor changes," while 24% say the program "is working well and no real
changes are needed," and 27% say the program "is not working and needs
major changes." In addition, the survey finds that:
Overall, 32% of seniors view the drug benefit
favorably, while 30% view it unfavorably;
Of seniors who have used their Medicare drug plans,
46% say they are saving money on prescription drug costs, while 34% say
they are paying about the same as before the drug benefit and 17% say
the are paying more (Kaiser Family Foundation release, 7/27);
34% of seniors enrolled in Medicare drug plans say
their plans have a coverage gap, 36% say their plans do not have a
coverage gap and 30% say they are unsure or cannot answer the question
(Kaiser Family Foundation release, 7/27);
About two in three seniors do not know that special
assistance is available to low-income seniors;
Of seniors who likely would qualify for the special
assistance, 32% are aware of the option (CQ HealthBeat, 7/27); and
Among all seniors, relatively few consider
prescription drugs to be the driving issue in the upcoming elections,
ranking it ninth on a list of 12 issues when asked to identify the
"single most important" issue in the congressional election (Kaiser
Family Foundation release, 7/27).
Comments
Drew Altman, president and CEO of the Kaiser Family Foundation, said the
survey shows that the drug benefit is "certainly not the catastrophe
many critics had predicted it would be" (AP/San Francisco Chronicle,
7/28).
Altman added, "[I]t bears close monitoring that the
sickest seniors are most likely to report problems" (CQ HealthBeat,
7/27). Mollyann Brodie, a Kaiser Family Foundation vice president and
director of public opinion and media research for the foundation, said,
"For the most part, seniors in these new plans are happy with the
choices they made, but there are certainly some potential challenges
that were raised by the data" (Jaffe,
Cleveland Plain
Dealer, 7/28).
CMS
spokesperson Peter Ashkenaz said the survey "shows that a majority of
people who are enrolled in the drug plans are satisfied with the
program," adding that seniors enrolled in the drug benefit receive more
than three million prescriptions daily (CQ HealthBeat, 7/27).
CMS Administrator Mark McClellan said, "We have
learned a lot about what people want in their drug coverage," adding,
"That's going to be reflected in choices that are simpler" in the second
year of the drug benefit (AP/San Francisco Chronicle, 7/28).
Senate Finance
Committee Chair Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) said that "[a]lthough
beneficiaries reported having some problems, the majority also reported
that the problems have been resolved." He noted that "the survey also
helps to identify areas on which we need to continue to work," adding,
"We need to make sure beneficiaries know that extra help is available
for premiums and cost sharing. We also need to make sure beneficiaries
have the resources they need to make their choices." (CQ HealthBeat,
7/27).
Robert Hayes, president of the
Medicare Rights
Center, said the 81% satisfaction rate is too low, noting,
"If you're delivering life-protecting medicine to older Americans, a 20%
failure rate is appalling. We have an extravagant, wastefully flawed
program that does too little good for too few people" (Cleveland Plain
Dealer, 7/28).
June 21, 2006 - Over the past five months,
virtually all Medicare (Part D) plans raised their prices for the top
drugs prescribed to senior citizens, according to a report issued
yesterday by the health consumer organization Families USA. The report,
based on pricing data submitted by the plans to the federal government,
contradicts the Bush Administration's assertions that the new Medicare
drug program is effectively moderating rising drug costs, according to
Families USA.
