Study says Medicare Part D premiums to jump 87% Posted by Earl Lui at 11/02/06 05:02 PM

The Washington Post reported today on a new study suggesting premiums for Medicare prescription drug plans will rise by a whopping 87% next year. The report by Families USA, a national health consumer group, also says fewer states will have plans offering full coverage for most drugs needed by seniors.

The Post story says:

Medicare beneficiaries will have to pay substantially more next year for coverage of brand-name prescription drugs that keeps them from falling into the "doughnut hole," according to a new report that government officials swiftly criticized as incomplete.

The report, released yesterday by the advocacy group Families USA, found that average monthly premiums will rise 87 percent, to $103.20, for plans that provide "meaningful coverage" in what otherwise would be a gap in Medicare's prescription drug benefit. Such coverage also will be harder to find -- 13 states will have no plans offering it in 2007, up from four states this year, the report found.

Senior citizens deserve better. Congress should make fixing the Medicare mess a top priority when it comes back after the election.

comments (10)

1 Posted by J. Galm at 11/02/06 07:43 PM

This does not suprise me - it seems like one more case where our congress is more concerned about the profitability of large corporations than it is about the concerns of the citizens they are suppose to represent. I'm still trying to figure out why we are giving tax breaks to oil companies.

2 Posted by Sandy Anderson at 11/02/06 08:47 PM

Brand name drugs? How about the news in today's paper about the "Brand" pharmacuticals paying off the little companies that are ready and able to release generics! The big guys are getting away with it, so that they can get more money...the courts even have judged it legal. What are we going to do? Site the courts? Or just take it??

3 Posted by tony at 11/02/06 09:17 PM

My part D plan has risen 33% -an extra $267.00 a year. Some of the drugs categories have increased $30.00 a month. So i will pay an extra $297.00 a year. My Social Security will rise $520. a year , but Medicare will rise $60.00 a year. A total yearly increase of $163.00 or a 0.9% total yearly increase. Who came up with the part D formula for the "donut hole"?? Has anyone in government worked 2 part-time jobs to support their families?? These are questions to think about and ask BEFORE YOU VOTE !!

4 Posted by Nancy Blue at 11/03/06 06:34 PM

I just finished studying what to do about Part D for next year. I found that the premiums have increased and when a low premium is offered the indidvidual drugs are priced higher. The price for insulin ranged from $20 per bottle to $83 per bottle. the price of lisinipril ranged from $.0 to $35 per prescription. The price for lipitor ranged from $28 per prescription to $87 per prescription. The cost for drugs for me ranged from approximately $1600 per year to $4000. per year. Obviously the $4000 plan did not want me as a customer. The three companies I compared were about the same cost but the cost was arrived at by low premiums and higher drug cost or high premiums and lower cost for the drugs. The three companies did not have a deductible or a doughnut hole and paid for generic drugs only and the cost of the drugs after I spent $2400 rose significantly. The only way that the drug plan can be fair is to have Congress fix the price of all the commonly used drugs and to place all of the drugs in tiers so that one company can not place insulin, for example, in tier one and the next company place it in tier two. The whole plan is bogus and poorly planned. I will say that the information is better this year but still confusing unless you are familiar with the terms and how to find the right place on the internet. I currently will re-enroll in the plan I had last year. We paid $383 per month for the drug plan and health insurance. We paid an additional $1319 for our share of the drug cost. We also paid medicare $160 per month and a dental insurance of $73 per month and had out of pocket expenses for my dental care of $2600 and my husbands dental cost were $4500 that we make $200 per month payments to the dentist. For 2007 the medical insurance cost will be lower $365. per month the dental insurance will be $77. per month and medicare will be more--I think $83 per month. And we still have to pay another $100+ per month for drugs. If we each took the most inexpensive drug plan and switch medical insurance and add on the monthly cost for drugs not paid by the insurance we would have a cost of almost $7000 per year. (roughly $600 per month plus medicare and dental insurance) I just am thankful that we can pay for all this now but every other cost is rising. House insurance is higher, auto insurance is higher, real estate taxes are higher and heating, electrical and auto gas bills are higher. Eventually something will have to give and it will not be any of the above items as one can not afoord to be without insurance. My husband's hospital bill for esophogal cancer was over $100,000. last year. So the insurance is well worth it when you have a major problem. I am diabetic and my drug cost are high. Most insurance companies will pay for the insulin but not for the syringes one needs to get the insulin into the body at a cost of $25. per month. That is the problem--letting insurance companies design the program was a big mistake! Congress needs to overhaul the whole program and make it simular to the medical supplement plan that came out in 1994. Ten plans and the insurance company had to decide what to charge for the plans. You decided what plan you wanted and went for the most inexpensive premium. If the drug cost were standardized and the tiers were standardized it would be much easier to select a plan that fit your needs.

5 Posted by D. Koncz at 11/04/06 04:55 AM

Seniors on a fixed income are ALREADY struggling with drug & insurance costs. I would not be surprised to see a correlating increase in the number of bankrupt seniors and consequently an increase in the # of Medicaid applications next year.

6 Posted by Hollis Stanford at 11/13/06 08:35 PM

WHY? May I ask:
Would it supprise anyone that our Drug Prices continue to rise...After all, if you remember... the Republicans passed the Bill in the wee hours of the morning ...after discussing the fact that Medicare would NOT be Allowed to even attempt to negotiate the prices with the Drug Companies!

If the 110th Congress allows this to stand they should also be voted out!

7 Posted by Toni at 11/19/06 10:17 AM

Medicare part D included a clause in which negotiating for lower prices for meds was "not" allowed.

As part of the reform, price negotiation should be allowed; moreover, if Canada can supply drugs for our vets, they should be allowed to sell to individuals without restraint.

8 Posted by Mike Slee at 04/09/07 11:13 AM

The old addage of eat or pay for your meds is here. Between my wife & myself we paid over 12 thousand dollars for our prescription drugs plus added onto that is the hospitalization & other non prescription items that is needed when you are disabilied. My wife & I are both compleely disabilied & get a check each mo. & cannot get help because we make to much mony. Please someone tell me how you can be completely disabilied & cannot get help from anyone. Iam sure there are many people out there in the same situation. What are we to do?

9 Posted by Norm at 12/19/07 06:30 AM

The part D drug plan is the biggest scam perpotrated on the public in recent memory. The politicians that pushed this plan through now work for the industry. The cost to the public and to Medicare is outrages, and rising. This plan needs to be scrapped and reformulated, so it benifits everyone not just the drug companies and the politicians.

10 Posted by Jane at 03/27/08 06:05 PM

Congress decided they had to keep Americans safe, meaning they stopped them from getting drugs from Canada and Mexico. EVERY TIME someone mentions safety, it costs us more. Too bad they weren't concerned that a lot of people would now have to choose between food & shelter vs. medications, because of the high price tag in our country. Once they got this rolling and everyone signed up, the insurance companies just raise the premiums, instead of doing what they're good for - using the backing of so many customers to negotiate lower drug prices. Greed has always been allowed to run rampant during Republican majorities. Then the Democrats come in, raise taxes and get the debt down, so we can vote the Republicans in again. Hasn't anyone else seen this pattern too many times? When will we learn? It would be nice to have a third option instead of these 2 parties playing us like a game of dominoes. I'd rather take my chances on someone I don't know, than to have to keep putting up with these well organized parties. At least Congress did one thing right. They passed a law that anyone in office (effective the beginning of 2008?), can not go to work for lobbyists. That's why Sen. Trent Lott, Mississippi - decided to leave office early. Hopefully this will help clear off some of the scum.