Figuring out the Candidates Views on Medicare

Aside from war, the economy and taxes, Medicare is a glaring issue on the agenda of both Barak Obama and John McCain who are running for president. There has been a tremendous amount of information being tossed about,especially Medicare coverage and he costs related to them.

We have been carefully checking statements and information that both candidates have put out for the public.  Even if the new president can successfully address the issues of war, the economy and taxes, as well as lost jobs and a budget that is a mess, one of the difficult issues that will still need to be dealt with is Medicare.  Health care costs are rising rapidly and Baby Boomers are beginning to look at Medicare for coverage which will add to the number of people Medicare must cover.

John McCain has said that repairing the Medicare system will be extremely difficult.  It will be more difficult to fix than reforming the Social Security System.  He has also said that he wants to see changes in the Medicare system to pay providers for disease prevention and care coordination.  If he becomes president he would also like to see a zero tolerance policy to deal with Medicare fraud and would not pay for preventable medical mistakes or mismanagement.  He has said, “What we have to do with Medicare is have a commission – have the smartest people in America come together and come up with recommendations.”

Barak Obama, on the other hand, proposes a plan to increase Social Security taxes on people earning more than $250,000 per year.  The change would not be immediate, but would take a decade or possibly more to implement.  Obama feels that a program like this would keep the Social Security program stable and sound financially.

In addition, Barak Obama opposes proposals that would give a portion of Social Security money in personal investment accounts.  This type of privatization is not a good idea.  Obama does, however, want to reduce Medicare costs.  He wants the federal government to be able to negotiate with pharmaceutical companies for lower, much more affordable prescription drug prices.  He wants the “donut hole” in Medicare prescription coverage to be closed.  Currently there is a coverage gap called the donut hole that leaves seniors very vulnerable by forcing them to pay for their prescriptions once they reach a certain limit.  Often, this leaves vulnerable seniors on limited incomes to often pay out thousands of dollars that they cannot afford.  As a result, many of these seniors are not able to afford their medications, so they just go without.
Obama has stated : "Privatizing Social Security was a bad idea when George Bush proposed it, and it is a bad idea today."

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When Medicare Prescription Coverage Isn’t Enough

For years we have heard about the plight of seniors on very meager incomes who have to rely on Medicare and Social Security to survive and who have had to buy second-rate food – or even dog/cat food – so they can eat.

Medicare has been designed to help seniors with their medical expenses, especially prescriptions.  The prescription drug coverage, a supplement to Medicare, is essential to seniors, as much of their ongoing healthcare is dependent on their medication. 

This part of the Medicare coverage available should actually be the easiest to deal with.  No doctor, no hospitals, no tests, just medicine.  However, with the changes to Medicare, especially with Medicare Advantage on the scene, things have gotten somewhat dicey in the area of seniors and prescriptions.

On the surface, Medicare Advantage is a good idea, but once you look into it, there re dangers lurking just a little below the surface.  These dangers can leave seniors extremely vulnerable, because once seniors have reached a particular amount of coverage/paid claims for prescriptions, the bottom drops out.

What happens is that if a senior has a Medicare Advantage plan that pays up to $2500 in prescriptions, once they hit that amount, they must pay for further prescriptions out of their pocket – often to the tune of thousands of dollars.  Once they reach the next plateau, coverage kicks in again.

The problem with this situation is that if a senior on Medicare Advantage has spent the initial allotment of coverage for prescriptions in the month of August, they will be paying for medication out of pocket possibly for the rest of the year.  Many times, the cost of medication is more than their entire Social Security check or entire income that month.

Because of this, too many seniors are simply going without medicine.  Imagine being on insulin or heart medication.  How long could a senior with diabetes or a history of heart disease go without their medication before there are serious complications, or even fatal ones? 

Lawmakers are trying to fix Medicare.  This is one area where they have to pay close attention.  In the meantime, physicians can try to work with their patients on Medicare to prescribe generics – especially those that are $4 on many pharmacy plans – so that seniors don’t have to risk their health and their lives by going without.

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