Back to Annual Meeting

Back to Annual Meeting

Abstract #151917

• Slides (pdf) or Handout

Paul J. Flaer, EdD, DDS, MPH, Stempel School of Public Health, Florida International University, University Park, HLS II, 5th Floor, 11200 SW 8th Street, Miami, FL 33199, 305-221-7679, pflaer01@aol.com

Medicare reform was long overdue when the new prescription drug plan, Medicare Part D, was implemented on January 1, 2006. The Medicare Part D program was developed and written into law in concert with the prevailing conservative political agenda. It is essentially a privatization of public sector Medicare insurance, plus a prescription drug benefit, to private health insurance companies (Health Maintenance Organizations). Unfortunately, the program is fraught with too many choices and options, leading many recipients to consult family, friends, and even attorneys to determine the best plan for their needs. The program began in early 2006, and the deadline for the selection of plans has already passed. For many Medicare D recipients, the next hurdle, dealing with the ramifications of the coverage gap (also called the “donut hole”), is approaching or is already in effect. Seniors in the “donut hole” face paying 100% out-of-pocket costs for medications while still paying the monthly Medicare premium. The limited coverage provided by Medicare D in this brave new world of innovative and highly effective but expensive drugs coexists with soaring profits in the insurance and pharmaceutical industries.

Learning Objectives:

• To evaluate the first year of Medicare Part D policy on plan participants.
• To describe insurance coverage under Medicare Part D as to coverage and coverage gaps (donut holes).
• The access the different coverage levels of Medicare Part d according to income and assets.

Keywords: Medicare/Medicaid, Medicine

Related Web page: NA

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No
Any institutionally-contracted trials related to this submission?

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

• Slides (pdf) or Handout