MEDICARE PART D: ARE THE PROGRESSIVE SOCIALIST DEMOCRATS INCREASING CLARITY OR KILLING COMPETITION?
There come a time when you cannot believe anything put forth about healthcare from the progressive socialist democrats and their special interest friends who crafted Obamacare in a secret back room with only the socialist foundations and campaign funding special interests present.
Not only have they stolen $500 billion from senior citizens when the gutted the Medicare Advantage Plan to help fund Obamacare, it appears that they are going to eliminate competition in the Medicare Part D plans by reducing some of the participants.
The big lie told by the big liar-in-chief …
If you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor, period! If you like your healthcare plan, you can keep your healthcare plan, period! Of course what was never said was that the government’s rules and regulations precluded the insurers from offering your old plans and that the cost competition was demanding the consolidation of available doctors into more manageable (and sometimes lower quality) groups.
If President Barack Obama and his cadre of progressive socialist democrats in Congress had wanted more competition and fairer pricing in the healthcare insurance market, they would have eliminated regional and state insurer monopolies by opening a national market for insurance. This would allow from greater price competition and benefits from operating in a vastly larger risk pool. But, no – the progressive socialist democrats needed the campaign funds from the big insurance companies, so they restricted rather than expanded the marketplace.
And, now they are lying again …
Medicare Program; Contract Year 2015 Policy and Technical Changes to the Medicare Advantage and the Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit ProgramsA Proposed Rule by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services on 01/10/2014 The proposed rule would revise the Medicare Advantage (MA) program (Part C) regulations and prescription drug benefit program (Part D) regulations to implement statutory requirements; strengthen beneficiary protections; exclude plans that perform poorly; improve program efficiencies; and clarify program requirements. The proposed rule also includes several provisions designed to improve payment accuracy. From the Executive Summary … The purpose of this proposed rule is to make revisions to the Medicare Advantage (MA) program (Part C) and Prescription Drug Benefit Program (Part D) regulations based on our continued experience in the administration of the Part C and Part D programs and to implement certain provisions of the Affordable Care Act. The proposed changes are necessary to—(1) clarify various program participation requirements; (2) make changes to strengthen beneficiary protections; (3) strengthen our ability to identify strong applicants for Part C and Part D program participation and remove consistently poor performers; and (4) make other clarifications and technical changes. 3. Drug Categories or Classes of Clinical Concern This proposed provision would interpret the Affordable Care Act authority to limit protected classes to those for which access to all drugs in a category or class for a typical individual with a disease or condition treated by the drugs in the class is required within 7 days and more specific formulary requirements would not suffice to meet multitude of specific applications of the drugs within the category or class. Instead of mandating coverage of all drug products in a particular class on all Part D formularies, we can save costs by identifying more efficient formulary requirements or other beneficiary protections in most cases. |
HUH?
These proposed administrative rules and regulations are not written in a clear and easy-to-understand manner; for those voting on these measures or those subject to these measures. They are full of hyper-technical language along with references to code sections and definitions that could easily change the meaning of the legislation or otherwise hide loopholes, carve-outs, exceptions, and draconian measures.
What does this really mean?
House subcommittee chairman: Obama administration policy would eliminate half of all existing Medicare Part D plans
The Obama administration’s new proposed rule for Medicare Part D would eliminate half of all Medicare Part D plans and raise prescription drug premiums for millions of seniors by up to 20 percent, according to a U.S. House subcommittee chairman.
“Today, the average senior has 35 different [Medicare Part D] plans to choose from this year. This rule would reduce that choice to two plans. 50% of the plans offered today will be gone, and the health care that seniors like may go with it,” House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee chairman Rep. Joe Pitts said in a statement at a Feb. 26 hearing attended by a top administration health official.
“Limiting seniors’ choices like this will inevitably lead to higher costs. By some estimates, the restriction on the number of plans that can be offered could cause premiums to rise by 10%-20%. Costs to the federal government may increase by $1.2-1.6 billion according to a study by Milliman,” Pitts said. “… I urge Secretary Sebelius and Administrator Tavenner to rescind this rule.”
The study Pitts cited also showed that the new rule would increase out-of-pocket drug costs for 6.9 million seniors who do not qualify for low-income subsidies, and would raise federal taxpayer costs for six million seniors who do qualify.
Read more atSubcommittee: CMS to eliminate half of Medicare Part D plans | The Daily Caller
Bottom line …
The mis-named Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act does little to offer patient protections or affordable care. This legislation is just another part of attempting to fix fatally flawed legislation while enticing the special interests to pony up campaign funds for the upcoming congressional election cycle that is likely to see the progressive socialist democrats held accountable for the lies told by President Obama and the progressive socialist democrats in Congress. Without this money to counteract truthful advertising, it is likely that the democrats will be punished for their attempt to destroy America and Americans from within.
I say throw out all of the progressive socialist democrats in local, state, and federal races – reduce corruption and restore some modicum of commonsense.
-- steve
“Nullius in verba”-- take nobody's word for it!
"Acta non verba" -- actions not words
“Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance.”-- George Bernard Shaw
“Progressive, liberal, Socialist, Marxist, Democratic Socialist -- they are all COMMUNISTS.”
“The key to fighting the craziness of the progressives is to hold them responsible for their actions, not their intentions.” – OCS "The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane." -- Marcus Aurelius “A people that elect corrupt politicians, imposters, thieves, and traitors are not victims... but accomplices” -- George Orwell “Fere libenter homines id quod volunt credunt." (The people gladly believe what they wish to.) ~Julius Caesar “Describing the problem is quite different from knowing the solution. Except in politics." ~ OCS