DeLauro, Local Pharmacist Call for Medicare Rx Drug Relief

DeLauro, Local Pharmacist Call for Medicare Rx Drug Relief

HAMDEN, Conn. - Flanked by area seniors confused over the Medicare prescription drug benefit, Congresswoman Rosa L. DeLauro (Conn.-3) and pharmacist Rick Carbray today called for relief for consumers and those intervening to ensure beneficiaries get the medication they need. Carbray, the owner of Apex Pharmacy, has been helping seniors determine which plans they are enrolled in and, in some instances, finding alternative means to get seniors their medication.

"The skyrocketing cost of prescription drugs is the most important issue facing seniors today," said DeLauro. "But since the January 1st rollout of the benefit, it has become increasingly clear that the program the president and the Congress put in place is failing seniors - and it is failing them across the board. Congress must take action now - to make sure seniors get the medications they need when they need them."

Hit hardest by this plan are seniors and the disabled with income-levels that qualify them for assistance from both Medicare and Medicaid - about 65,000 people here in Connecticut and over 6 million in all. Many of these so-called "dual eligibles" were automatically enrolled in a plan but not given any information whatsoever detailing where they are enrolled or what costs and benefits they would receive. When they go to purchase their drugs, pharmacists have not been given the information they need to locate their information in the system. Connecticut is one of the 27 states that have resorted to stopgap measures to ensure our neediest citizens get the drugs they need.

DeLauro has proposed the following solutions:
# Provide $1,000 debit cards to dual-eligible seniors for at least six months so they do not leave the pharmacy empty-handed. Private insurance companies would reimburse the government for this expense.
# Cosponsored the Medicare Prescription Drug Flexibility for Seniors Act of 2005, H.R. 4410, legislation introduced by Congressman Larson that would extend the prescription drug plan enrollment deadline from May 15, 2006 to May 15, 2008.
# Cosponsored the Medicare Prescription Drug Emergency Guarantee Act, legislation to guarantee beneficiaries a 60-day supply or more of their prescriptions until any problem is resolved and allow states to be reimbursed quickly and efficiently for emergency funds to cover dual eligible medications.

"Pharmacies like Apex are trying to do their best under impossible conditions," said DeLauro. "While these steps would provide immediate relief, we also need to get to the root of the problem. Congress must open a dialogue about redrafting the Medicare Part D law in a broader sense. There is no reason we could not have simply given Medicare—instead of insurance companies—the authority to distribute medications directly to pharmacies. That way we could have also given the government the authority to negotiate lower prices with the drug companies by buying in bulk, which current law actually prohibits."

http://www.house.gov/delauro/press/2006/February/medicare_call_2_6_06.html