Bush defends much-criticized drug program

[leftchick]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060509/pl_nm/bush_medicare_dc_1

SUN CITY CENTER, Florida (Reuters) - President George W. Bush urged older Americans on Tuesday to sign up for the government's prescription drug program before a May 15 deadline and disputed complaints that the plan is too complex.

"This is a good deal for American seniors," Bush said at the Kings Point retirement community near Tampa, Florida. The visit was part of two-and-a-half day tour to promote the program in the state, a favorite retirement spot.

The program, offered to the 42 million people in the Medicare health program, began on January 1. More than 30 million are receiving drug coverage. Of those, 8.1 million have signed up voluntarily for the new program and the rest transferred from other programs or have coverage through former jobs.

Most others who are eligible must sign up within six days or face a penalty.

[jbnow]

1. And that penalty

grows every month and is for a lifetime. It's 1 % a month but miss May 16th and you can't sign up until November 6% penalty, miss that and it's the next year, another 12%.

I am on disability, just over the level where you get more help. It won't help me, it will cost me. It costs far more than getting what I need from Canada or drugstore.com for some. Some won't be covered at all.

But I worry a cure might come for my condition down the road and of course will cost a lot and they'll have blocked Canadian drugs and on and on. I feel blackmailed into buying into this program that won't help me at all, wasting money that I need for other things (like new roof and the drugs they won't pay for)

It's the people like me that are over 14.5 K per year but were low enough, 21K or so, that drug companies would provide free or reduced priced drugs. They stopped that.

I hate this program. Drug and insurance companies make out great, the consumers, tax payers and small pharmacies are screwed.

[Warpy]

2. Caption:

"If you worthless old geezers are too stupid to figure out what my Big Pill buddies wrote, tough luck."

[Sugar Smack]

3. Thank you leftchick! Here's what I made out of that picture:

:hi: