Wednesday, April 18, 20077
Veterans signing up for Medicare Part D
Patients are voting with their feet when it comes to government price negotiations. Another reason that the VA shouldn't be looked at as the holy grail of health care:
Statistics released March 22 by the VHA and Department of Health and Human Services show that 1.16 million seniors who are already enrolled in the VHA drug program have nonetheless signed up for Medicare Part D. That's about one-third of the entire VHA case load. Why? Because these seniors have figured out that Medicare Part D offers more convenience, often lower prices, and better insurance coverage for their prescription drugs. In short, seniors are voting with their feet against the very price control system that Democratic leaders Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi want to push them into.
Comments
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Evan
Assumes facts not in evidence again. Many things might prompt a veteran to sign up for a part D plan, most especially the driving distance to the nearest VA dispensing facility. Does this seem difficult to figure out with gas costing 3.00 per gallon? This in no way suggests that those veterans who sign up have STOPPED using the VA. It in no way forecloses their options, they are just opening another one.
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Anonymous
I can tell you for a fact the VA and DoD pharmacies often require >2hr waits to get prescriptions filled. My patients hate it. I am sure Pelosi and Reid and the rest of them will get front of the line privileges if we are are enslaved under a single payer government run nightmare. Additionally, the covered meds on formulary change daily depending on cost. I don't blame them for voting with their feet. Probably more would do so, but they are unaware or uninformed that they can change to Medicare D. I would if I were stuck in the VA system.
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ArkyDoc
I used to work as a VA primary care physician. I am also a veteran. I think the VA is overall, a good organization that provides excellent care to a population that generally has multiple comorbidities. Many of the WWII and Korean conflict veterans are of an age, though, where they can't drive a couple hours to an unfamiliar urban area without risk of car wrecks or confusion - I recall having to schedule repeat visits in the mid-morning/early afternoon slots for my elderly patients because they couldn't see to drive after dark. The VA does a good job with primary care, but has more trouble providing timely specialty care. A lot of my patients had outside cardiologists, etc., and it was a real hassle for them (and me) to review their outside prescriptions, find a drug within the same class on our formulary, call the cardiologist to find out if they were OK with the formulary drug, and then enter the script into our system so my patient could get it through the VA. I suspect that many of the patients will stay with their VA primary care providers and use the part D coverage of these outside prescriptions. They also often have a home-town primary care doc who they go to see for bronchitis, etc. and when they get a prescription for an antibiotic or something they want filled the same day, it will be much easier for them to utilize their Part D benefit. So, I'm glad more are signing up. I think the care will be complimentary, not an "either/or".
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Anonymous
Unfortunately the single-payer fanatics will force "either/or" down our throats.
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Catron
I'm delighted to see that the Senate (this morning) killed the drive to have Medicare "negotiate" with the drug companies. I imagine this creature will be back, however.
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Evan
Here's a link to some actual data. Kevin won't post it probably so I will:
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Pat
Such propaganda!! My brother-in-law and sister are on Tricare and love it. You couldn't pay them enough to switch to Bushco's gift to BigPharma, Medicare Part D. I'm a senior myself and I will go without prescription coverage rather than sign up for this scam. Dr. Kevin, how much does Pharma pay you?
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