Bravo. Hope you don't mind that I take the opportunity to inform of one issue that falls into the realm of your comments. I've been circulating the letter below to try to get a state legislator to craft a wrap around policy that will cover those who will fall between the cracks.
Dear Senator Keuhl,
I am writing out of need and for hundreds of others all across the nation who will find themselves in the same dire straights I see coming down the road at the end of this year.
The new Medicare Prescription Drug plan going into effect January 1, 2006 may have some serious consequences for me. I am what they call a "dual eligible", that is, I have Medicare and Medi-Cal.
All dual eligibles are going to be thrown onto the Medicare drug plan, which relies on private insurance carriers to pay for drugs. Now I depend upon Medi-Cal to pay for my prescriptions as I am disabled, unemployed, and cannot afford to pay for them on my own.
CMS has been working on the Medicare drug regulations and the private insurance companies that will offer a plan under Medicare are coming up with their formularies to determine the drugs that they will and will not cover. According to the latest information I have, we won't know until October or November exactly what these plans will offer, what drugs will be covered and what drugs will not!
I could be much worse off in January on Medicare than I am now on Medi-Cal which pays for all my drugs, even ones not on its formulary through a process called TARs. CMS has already stated that some drugs that most states cover through their Medicaid programs-such as benzodiazepines-will not be covered by Medicare Part D. (See #17 at http://www.familiesusa.org/site/PageServer?pagename=Medicare_Central_Analysis_Final_Regs#seven)
It is highly likely that I will be worse off on the Medicare drug plan given the fact that Medicare will only pay for the limited drugs on their formulary and the insurance companies are looking at how much money they can make off people like me and how much they stand to lose in the deal they make with the federal government. I may have to chose a private plan which covers only one, two, or three of the drugs I need.
Historically disabled people have been shifted onto public programs like Medi-Cal because our medical expenses are so high, insurers don't want us, and we are so poor. That is why it is illogical for the federal government to be forcing dual eligibles onto private plans.
I cannot do without even one of the drugs I must take each day yet I may be faced with this dire circumstance where I may not be able to pay out of pocket for an indispensable drug. Believe me thousands of disabled persons across the nation will similarly be affected. In addition to cost, often we require specific drugs (not substitutes) for our conditions. Many of us have spent years getting to the right combination of drugs that keep us going.
According to the Families USA evaluation of the regulations, states can continue to provide Medicaid coverage for non-Part D drugs (ones that the insurance companies refuse to cover) and receive federal matching assistance but the State of California to date has not set such legislation into motion.
Will you help to enlist the State of California to pass such a law or suggest who I may contact to pursue this vital matter?
Most sincerely, Marta Russell
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