Families USA issues report critical of Medicare discount cards

Families USA, a left-wing advocacy group allied with the Democrats, issued a report critical of the Medicare discount card. The news release is here. The Boston Herald reports:

 

Families USA, a left-wing advocacy group allied with the Democrats, issued a report critical of the Medicare discount card. The news release is here. The Boston Herald reports:

Even with a Medicare discount card, seniors will typically pay 50 percent more than the Veterans Administration for their medications, according to an analysis released yesterday.

     Critics of the discount program said the Families USA study shows why cards should be scrapped in favor of a more comprehensive drug benefit.

¬†¬†¬†¬†¬†``We need to end this shell game and find honest solutions to the crisis of excessive costs of prescription drugs,’’ said Sen. Edward M. Kennedy [related, bio] (D-Mass.)

¬†¬†¬†¬†¬†He said a program closer to the VA’s should have been set up so the government could negotiate on behalf of all seniors rather than leaving it up to private vendors.

     The cards offer typical discounts of 15 to 25 percent off retail. But the Veterans Administration gets much better deals.

¬†¬†¬†¬†¬†``It isn’t a fair comparison,’’ said Peter Ashkenaz, spokesman for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

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