CNN:
According to the adminsitration,last minute enrollment for Part D estimates that approximately 90 percent of senior citizens would have prescription coverage.
Mark McClellan of CMS:
“We’ve seen a real surge [in enrollments]. The deadline is making a difference.“
McClellan also claimed calls would be taken until 3 a.m. Eastern Time. Those who were unable to talk to a real person and left a message requesting a return call would be contacted in a couple of days and be allowed to enroll without any penalty assessed.
continued
AP:
“40,000 to 50,000 people were on the agency’s Web site – http://www.medicare.gov – at any given moment Monday.”
Now, Nancy Johnson claim she plans to introduce legislation to assist those who miss the enrollment deadline. Johnson also held hearings on Part D on May 3, 2006. The outcome of which was very partisan.
In response to Johnson’s sudden turnaround, Nancy Pelosi claimed,
“After months of ignoring the pressing needs of seniors, Republicans are running for political cover by claiming they want to waive the penalty they imposed. Waiving the penalty does not do enough.”
Johnson responded by saying that Part D enrollment would have been closer to 100%
“if the Democrats had put the welfare of our seniors ahead of their own political ambition.”
San Francisco Chronicle:
A press release from Pete Stark:
“Mrs. Johnson always talks about listening to her constituents. But if she thinks waiving the penalty is all they’re asking for, she needs to have her hearing checked.”
Beneficiaries who missed the deadline cannot enroll again until Nov. 15, with coverage starting in January 2007. Unless the government grants a waiver, they will be penalized 1% per month in higher premiums. People who enroll by January will pay 7% more — or about $2.50 more per month. People who miss that deadline and don’t enroll till November of next year will pay 19% more.
* Forty-seven senators, including three Republicans, signed a letter Thursday by Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., urging Bush to extend the deadline and lift the penalties.
* On Friday, Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, added her voice to the effort. She noted that nearly half of seniors in a recent survey didn’t know about the deadline or penalties.
However, despite all of the repeated requests for an extension of the enrollment period and the complaints about the confusion in the Part D plans one is supposed to sign up for, the administration is holding firm.
Baltimore Sun:
White House spokesman Tony Snow:
“I’m not going to give you a categorical answer. The deadline’s the deadline.”
Forbes:
According to Mike Leavitt, choosing a Part D consists of three things:
“First, is to get their prescription drugs together; second, is to find their Medicare card; and third, is to dial 1-800-Medicare or go online at www.medicare.gov.”
Robert Hayes of the Medicare Rights Center:
Earlier, Michael Leavitt assisted his parents in choosing a Part D plan, despite the fact that his father made a fortune in the insurance business. And, the plan that Leavitt chose for his parents put their retiree health coverage at risk.
And, if the HHS Secretary can make a mistake, how many others who are forced to enroll in Part D will?
UPDATE:
A bipartisan bill was announced earlier today that would waive penalties for late enrolles to Part D. People would be allowed to enroll for 2007 without paying any penalty. The legislation was sponsored by Sens. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, Max Baucus, D-Mont., and Mike DeWine, R-Ohio. Rep. Nancy Johnson, R-Conn. is working w/colleagues in the House to introduce similar legislation. Michael Leavitt feels that it is necessary to wait and see if the legislation is needed. Mark McClellan is concerned as to whether or not the legislation could further reduce costs to Medicare managed care plans. In addition, officials claim that they will use what they have learned from the initial enrollment drive and try to improve the offerings next year.
available in orange at MLW and at epm
Afternoon Kid. This whole disaster just lurches on from one to another. First the whole mess with people not getting their prescriptions in Jan. and on or being told they had to pay for them or certain drugs not covered to this whole stupid deadline idiocy.
I see a whole bunch of people trying to beat the deadline as you said and not getting through and supposedly they won’t be penalized..yeah right, we’ll see how that works out. I’m sure a lot of people still probably don’t realize about the penalties for not meeting deadline. People who think they don’t need to worry about signing up like the woman you mentioned yesterday who takes no medication right now so why sign up? Surprise, surfuckensurprise eh.
Of course since these are fucken insurance plans, that is why they have demanded by law that everyone has to sign up. If people didn’t the insurers wouldn’t have enough people and would or will lose money and then go under.
I wonder how happy Leavitt’s parents are with him right now?
I’m waiting on more coffee to brew, right now.
I bet they were pretty upset, but I will lay odds that it has been straightened out.
I was kinda suprised when I read the numbers about those who weren’t aware of the penalty and the estimate of how it will further increase for late sign-ups next year! That is nuts.
Another thing is that this plan was supposed to be voluntary. The way that some of the articles read, you sure as hell wouldn’t think so. As you said, it appears to be mandatory. There is so much incorrect information out there it is really pathetic, especially when you remember that this was enacted in 2003! Hell, they had more than enough time to prepare for this.
I also have a feeling that we are in for a repeat of January w/all the late enrollments. Things are not over w/this yet.
I’m doing ok now that I’m back in air conditioned apartment..my sister took me to video store..Tuesday is always new DVD day for me.
The program seems about as voluntary as taxes doesn’t it? As for having a couple years since 03 to work out any problems that might happen, I think they thought that when the time came to sign up everyone would just take their word for how ‘wonderful’ this program was and sign up like crazy. About like believing we’d be greeted with flowers in Iraq.
I think they might just get past this whole penalty/deadline deal and then it’s going to be people hitting that fucken donut hole bullshit…unless of course you had the money to pay extra to cover you during your donut hole phase…jesus that really is one of the stupidest parts of this whole freaken mess I think.
Some are already hitting the donut hole. Especially if the cost of their rx’s is high.
Here in San Francisco Medicare eligible seniors demonstrated at the Federal Building — the demand was “replace the boondoogle!”
the oxygen tent protest (sic!). Nursing home patients dying on the steps of a federal building for lack of the enough of the right meds to stay alive.
I’ve spent the last 9 months attempting to explain how Hot Mail works to my better half’s parents. I have no clue how they’ll understand the workings of a program no one can explain to anyone else.
This is going to be an even bigger cluster fuck than Iraq. Anybody out there setting up a website to track the body count?
May be one in the process. There has been one that has been reported.
Thanks for the link.
Let me know what happens–post a message here. Have email hidden for obvious reasons as you know. (Diaries that scoll off can come in handy!)