Letter: Medicare reform helps drug firms, but not seniors

Thursday, May 6, 2004 | 9:06 a.m.

Richard Foster, the Medicare actuary, was told by the administration that he would be fired if he revealed the bill would cost taxpayers almost $200 billion more than the estimates given by Bush.

Worse than that, this bill does little more than hurt seniors in our community.

The so-called drug "discount" cards don't provide much of a discount at all. They are meant to be temporary, until the real benefits take effect in 2006. This means the real meat of the Medicare change won't go into effect until after Bush is out of office or has nothing to lose during a second term.

Nearly 20,000 Nevada seniors will pay more for Medicare when the changes go into effect. At that point, a senior will have to pay $4,000 to receive $5,100 in plan benefits. How many seniors can afford to pay $4,000 but not $5,000?

Meanwhile the HMOs and pharmaceutical companies will make out like bandits, thanks to the law prohibiting Medicare from negotiating lower prices and preventing seniors from buying less expensive prescriptions from Mexico or Canada.

JOHN CULLIGAN

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