Seniors slam Medicare cards

June 11, 2004

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.... No card covers all prescription drugs. Seniors say the law allows drug

companies to change the list of drugs they cover as often as once a week,

and that card companies can raise their drug prices as often, and by as

much, as they like.

" You go onto the Internet to look into all the cards to see if they cover

your drugs and of course they don¹t, " ...

He noted that one investigation into the cards discovered " communication

gaps between Medicare, the drug card sponsors and participating pharmacies,

as well as hidden prices, missing drugs and conflicting answers between

Medicare¹sWeb site and its hotline. "

Drug prices that have risen at three times the rate of inflation have wiped

out any savings the discount cards provide, Pernorio said.

Large drug manufacturers, Pernorio said, " contribute millions and millions

of dollars to the president and conservative congresspeople for their

election. If they were to take that money and put it back into

prescriptions, the senior citizens of this country would save a lot of

money.

" Tomorrow, I¹m going down to the Canadian Discount Store in Warwick to order

three months supply from Canada at a much cheaper price than this discount

card, " said Bidwell of Pawtucket, director of the Gray Panthers of

Rhode Island, who emceed the press conference.

Bidwell was referring to a storefront where people can order prescription

drugs from Canadian pharmacies, often at significantly lower prices than

available in the United States.

" And I would advise any elderly to do that rather than worry about the much

smaller discount they would get from the discount card. "

Several of the speakers noted that while the Canadian government regulates

the price of prescription drugs in that country, United States law

specifically prohibits Medicare from negotiating with drug companies for

lower prices.

Malcolm of Ocean State Action said the Bush administration¹s discount

card program " puts greed before need. It¹s a plan that sells out America¹s

seniors and people with disabilities to the giant pharmaceutical companies

like Eli Lily and Pfizer.

" The president called this Medicare drug law a victory for seniors, but what

we know is that the biggest winners are the HMOs and pharmaceutical

companies, " Malcolm said. ...

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