AU, Local Part D Donut Hole Victim Delivers Doughnut Holes to Rep. Clay Shaw
Americans United, Florida Consumer Action Network, Local Victims of Part D ‘Donut Hole Trap' Deliver Doughnut Holes to Rep. Shaw and Call on Him to Support Badly Needed Fixes to Fatally Flawed Rx Drug Program
Effort in advance of ‘National Donut Hole Day': September 22nd Marks Troubling Milestone for Most of the Nearly 7 million Seniors and Disabled Americans Who Will Plummet into Massive Part D Coverage Gap
September 19, 2006 (West Palm Beach, FL) - In advance of what has been dubbed ‘National Donut Hole Day,' the Florida Consumer Action Network (FCAN), representatives from the National Organization of Women, and local Florida seniors who have fallen into the Part D ‘donut hole trap' held a press conferences in front of U.S. Rep. Clay Shaw's constituent office in West Palm Beach today to deliver dozens of doughnut holes and call on the Congressman to support badly needed fixes to the fatally flawed Rx Drug program. The Part D ‘donut hole' is a massive gap in coverage for those covered by the program whose annual costs fall between $2,250 and $5,100; Floridians who fall in are forced to pay the full cost of their prescription drugs on top of their costly monthly premiums. The doughnut-hole delivery to Rep. Shaw was part of national campaign kicked off by the Campaign for America's Future and Americans United, the national partner of FCAN, to dispose of 69,000 doughnut holes - 1 doughnut hole for every 100 seniors who are estimated to plummet into the Part D donut hole trap - and raise awareness about why the donut hole needs to be eliminated and why Congress must Fix Part D today. FCAN is an affiliate of USAction and state partner of Americans United.
"The Part D ‘donut hole' has almost killed me," said Ms. Betty Priscak, a 74-year Fort Lauderdale native who helped deliver doughnut holes to Congressman Shaw. "I cannot afford to pay for my medicines, which have already cost me $3,600 out of my own savings this year."
Last month, Florida Consumer Action Network released a troubling a new report prepared by the Institute for America's Future that showed that the costly, confusing and corrupt Bush Part D plan has dire health and financial consequences for an estimated 6.9 million Americans who will soon fall into the program's ‘donut hole.' The report -- entitled ‘Falling into the Doughnut Hole - revealed that September 22nd is the date the average Medicare-eligible American will fall into the ‘donut hole;' it also detailed how the gap will actually grow over time and the devastating - even fatal - health and financial consequences for the vast majority who can not escape it. The full report from Institute for America's Future can be found here: http://home.ourfuture.org/reports/medicare/0607-DoughnutHole.pdf
"September 22nd has been identified as national ‘Donut Hole Day' - the date the average Medicare-eligible American, including thousands of Floridians, will fall into the Part D ‘donut hole trap,' said Andrea Hildebran, spokeswoman for FCAN. "This unfortunate milestone is proof that Part D was written by and for the big drug and insurance companies. There's no other reason this massive coverage gap exists in the first place. There's no other reason why Medicare would be prohibited from negotiating lower prices with the drug companies. There's no other reason why seniors are forbidden from getting a drug plan directly through Medicare. There's no other reason why the private insurance plans are allowed to drop coverage for specific drugs at any time while seniors are locked into their plans. Yet Congressman Clay Shaw has been acting as an apologist for this fatally flawed program."
Americans United Plan to Fix Part D:
- Reduce the cost of prescription drugs by requiring Medicare to negotiate lower prices from drug companies,
- Close the "donut hole" referring to the gap in coverage for annual costs between two thousand two hundred fifty dollars and five thousand one hundred dollars which will result in millions of seniors being denied coverage each year while they still pay monthly premiums
- Allow seniors the choice of obtaining their prescription drug plan directly from Medicare--instead of from a private insurance company.
- Re-open Part D enrollment and waive the late enrollment penalty until Part D is fixed.
"Congressman Shaw needs to support meaningful legislation to fix to Part D and eliminate the ‘donut hole.' The Part D donut hole could virtually be done away with with the saving gained from allowing Medicare to negotiate lower prices from drug companies, just as the Veterans Administration does for veterans. If Rep. Clay can't agree to these simple, common sense reforms to Part D - his constituents ought to follow the money to see whose interests he's really putting first," added Hildebran.
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