Seniors urge changes in new drug program

Mass. seniors decry new drug program Medicare plan is costly, confusing, activists say

Massachusetts seniors yesterday lashed out at the new Medicare prescription drug benefit and vowed to change the law that they say created a confusing and flawed program.

At a State House news conference, members of the Massachusetts Senior Action Council recounted problems they've endured trying to sign up for drug coverage and get prescriptions filled. They said the plan design -- under which seniors buy insurance coverage from dozens of competing providers -- needs to be changed. The drug benefit started Jan. 1.

"We knew when the law was passed in 2003 this was going to be a disaster," said Sue Kirby, executive director of the nonprofit advocacy group. ''And here it is, day four, and this is the worst we could imagine. We're on a campaign to fix it."

The protest comes amid continuing reports of difficulties with the drug plan. Some seniors have had trouble getting clear answers from insurers. Some haven't been able to get prescriptions filled. And many say the program, which offers more than 40 coverage options in Massachusetts alone, is just too confusing.

"I've been on Medicare since 1994, and I'm going crazy trying to figure out what's what with this new drug program," said Arlene Arterio of Medford. ''I've been calling since Dec. 2, and I'm still up in the air. Each time I call, the information is different."

Joan Morris, 73, of Cambridge, said the savings promised by the new drug program have proven illusory. She said she used to pay $15 a month, or $120 a year, for two blood-pressure medications. Under the new plan, she must pay out-of-pocket for the prescriptions until she reaches a deductible of $250. That will make it tight under her fixed income.

"Between the rent and the food, it's going to be hard," she said.

The new benefit, known as Part D, adds prescription drug insurance to traditional Medicare coverage for hospital stays and doctor visits. An estimated 43 million Americans, most of them seniors or those with disabilities, are eligible to receive benefits under the new plan.

But for months leading up to the start of coverage, Medicare advocates, senior groups, and politicians have criticized the plan for its complexity and cost. Individual insurance companies and pharmacy benefit firms are competing for seniors' business, leading to a plethora of choices and making it difficult for many seniors to choose coverage. Meantime, many seniors are unhappy with the so-called ''doughnut hole" -- a gap in coverage for which seniors have to pay full price for drugs. The plans provide insurance only above and below the gap. Yesterday, seniors wore gigantic inflatable doughnuts to highlight the absurdity of the design.

Dr. Charlotte Yeh, Boston regional administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the US agency that handles the new plan, said anecdotal evidence ignores widespread success in rolling out the coverage. She attributed problems affecting seniors to teething problems that will soon be solved.

"We're still in the first week," she said. ''With any program that's this big, you can expect some glitches here or there. For the most part it's working, and every day that goes by it's working better." Agency officials will today hold a national conference call with pharmacists to help them work through problems.

John Bennett, president of the senior action council, said his group plans to aggressively seek to change some of the fundamental underpinnings of Part D.

"We want to get it out of the hands of the private insurance companies and give it back to Medicare," he said. ''We also want the government to negotiate drug prices and we want to get rid of the doughnut hole."

Jeffrey Krasner can be reached at krasner@globe.com.