October 7, 2007. 10:31 a.m.
 Private Insurance Company Abuses Associated with Bush's
Medicare Drug Benefit Program Are Not a Surprise.
 
An article in today's New York Times ("Medicare Audits Show Problems in Private Plans")  
describes the abuses of private insurance companies of the government's  
Medicare Drug Benefit Plan. This was long expected by us.  
You see, Bush got a lot of donations from pharmaceutical companies  
and their allies, so in order to pay them back, he got  
the Medicare Drug Plan passed. The plan states that the government  
cannot negotiate the costs of these drugs, which means down the  
road the costs of this benefit are going to be immense. Another  
bone thrown to the advocates of free markets was to  
have private insurance companies administer the plan on behalf  
of the government. This was to assuage those afraid of having the government  
involved in health care. But it adds another layer of administration and makes no sense.  
Now these private companies are kicking people with HIV off their lists,  
ignoring people's petitions for off-formulary drugs, and calling up  
little old ladies at home and saying they represent Medicare and  
they have to sign up for their expensive plans to retain their  
insurance.
 
I say, don't pay these goons a dime. Who says we have to buy  
health insurance, anyway? But more on that another day.

Doug Bremner, MD, is a physician
and researcher in Atlanta GA
and author of Before You Take That Pill:
Why the Drug Industry May be
Bad for Your Health

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