President Trump is proposing changes to Medicare Part D that include more choice of plans, free generic drugs for low income people, lower out-of-pocket expenses and improved protections for patients entering the catastrophic phase of the benefit. What do you think of his proposal?
More choices the better!
When I find myself in times of trouble
Mother Mary comes to me
Speaking words of wisdom
Let it be
And in my hour of darkness
She is standing right in front of me
Speaking words of wisdom
Let it be
Let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be
Whisper words of wisdom
Let it be
And when the broken-hearted people
Living in the world agree
There will be an answer
Let it be
For though they may be parted there is
Still a chance that they will see
There will be an answer
Let it be
Let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be
Yeah, there will be an answer
Let it be
Let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be
Whisper words of wisdom
Let it be
Let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be
Whisper words of wisdom
Let it be
And when the night is cloudy
There is still a light that shines on me
Shine until tomorrow
Let it be
I wake up to the sound of music
Mother Mary comes to me
Speaking words of wisdom
Let it be
Let it be, let it be, let it be, yeah, let it be
There will be an answer
Let it be
Let it be, let it be, let it be, yeah, let it be
There will be an answer
Let it be
Let it be, let it be, let it be, yeah, let it be
Whisper words of wisdom
Let it be
In general, President Trump is trying to keep his campaign promises as best as he can given the fact that most of Congress, both Democrats and RINO’s, are dedicated to preserving the status quo. So he is trying to come up with viable options that he can carry out via executive orders and changes to existing regulatory mechanisms. When we get more details about the overall plan over the next few days to a week, we will be better able to make an assessment of the plan. Until then, this survey is premature.
Have a great weekend and celebrate Mother’s Day.
The pharmaceutical lobbies have a chokehold on government sponsored Healthcare. They favor Socialized Medicine, and they routinely support the Socialist Governments that keep them in business. Drug companies overwhelmingly supported the implementation of Obamacare. They reward doctors who prescribe their medicines, and have corrupted the entire Healthcare Industry. Obama obediently looked the other way as the opioid epidemic destroyed tens of thousands of lives.
If President Trump has found a way to break the chokehold of the pharmaceutical companies and make Government Healthcare more economically sustainable, he is truly David standing against Goliath. The Swamp needs draining. And Big-Pharma is one of the sponsors of the Deep State that likes the status quo.
The best avenue for dealing with high prescription costs is through the pharmaceutical companies as they are rich, aggressive and greedy. Having worked as a sales rep in the industry and being a health care professional, I have knowledge of their strategies. I support President Trump in looking at avenues to make solid changes, but big pharma is a problem.
I wish that people on SS did not have to pay taxes on the SS income due to the fact that taxes have already been paid, I believe they call that double taxation.
The cost of medications as we age is costly and pharmaceutical companies need to be controlled
Clicked on poll, then nothing
Not the question that needs to be addressed! Washington Bureaucrats already accept enough lobbying money from the big drug companies to allow all of us to enjoy lower drug costs. The real problem is massive government involvement within the drug industry, both here and abroad. Stiffen our patent law, eliminate lobbyists and don’t allow the government to profit from the industry.
We pay to much for health insurance. Private, Medicare, and part D too?
As a blessed individual, age 87, I use my Medicare benefit rarely – however, I have witnessed what has happened to many of my friends. With everything our President has done so far I would trust him with his proposal. God Bless our President
How about “What non-socialist options could we try?”
I’m an 85 year old widow on social security and take a lot of prescriptions. It costs me about $200.00 per month for them over and above Medicare part D. I skip doses about twice a week to make them go farther. I cannot get a shingles shot even though Medicare Part D pays part of it. It will cost me $68.00. I cannot get it at the doctors’ office, therefore my secondary insurance with Aetna/Continental will not pay the balance. I think the doctors’ office should be able to give the shot in order for the patient to be covered by Plan F of secondary insurance. Please use any influence you have to draw this to the attention of the President as the shot is very expensive.
Dear President Trump,
My situation is: I HAVE to pay $20.40 a month premium a month (lowest one available) with $405 deductible for a prescription I can purchase cheaper myself.
GET RID OF THE PENALTY.
Government SHOULD NOT FORCE anyone to purchase anything PERIOD.
Just what is proposed is better than what is currently on the books.
I am encouraged by the President’s ideas., though he needs to go further in his efforts. Because of big Pharma, Americans have the mind-set that drugs are the only solution to healthcare. I would like to see plans in place that while offering options to purchase drugs if that is your mindset, to also offer options where supplements and other healthy alternatives can be purchased. Physicians are trained in only drug therapy which manages symptoms. To have true healthcare we’ need to go a more holistic approach which people would follow if given that option. To me, I think it is criminal that a senior has to choose between eating or purchasing drugs or having to pay for a drug plan when you would rather purchase supplements or going to a holistic practioner . If we can somehow bring these options together than we might have true healthcare reform.
the pharmaceuticals and the administrative medical control this problem ! until we get universal cost on them it will never be solved . my blood pressure meds cost at one drug store 185.35 ,the other store in town 118.47 with my old insurance i paid 65.00 the new insurance 15.00 .the hospital charged me 5300.00 for hernia surgery with out insurance 8 months later with insurance the same procedure cost 800.00 in investigating i could get my medicine in next town with out insurance for 5.00 and surgery would have been 1165.00 until we can get every one on same page with charges nothing will change
I would have to see more of the plain before any comment .
Also would like to know cost savings and time limit for signing up. Am turning 63
He sure is listening to the people
cragan
Hopefully there will be a group discount due to the large number of customers in the system.
Hope, they can work out something on the federal and state income taxes and the price on prescription drugs not only for medicare people but for all Americans.
thanks.
I am a 66 yr old MD recently retired and on MCR, supplement F and Part D. Big pharma and hospital charge masters are THE problems which Congress will not address due to lobbyists—I doubt Trump alone can change any of this in spite of his word appeal to the electorate. However, If VA can negotiate rock bottom pricing with big pharma, why can’t MCR do the same?! Insurance companies do have allowables which vary widely but plans are numerous and vary widely creating chaos in the minds of those trying to choose. It should be simpler, and in no situation should Americans have to pay more than those in other nations (big pharma loves to use that R&D excuse). It is shameful that Congress and/or federal agencies will not address problems facing a majority of seniors when the private sector fails them. Mark that up to lobbyists which Trump cannot get rid of!
The ruling class doesn’t care what the little people say or pay. Just move along lackey..
The Presidents recognition of the plethora of flaws in Medicare D and the attendant exorbitant cost of prescription medication is refreshing and encouraging. The U.S. consumer cost for prescription medication has spiraled upward out of control since the inception of Medicare D. In addition to the actual escalation of the drug costs the cost of Medicare D insurance premiums and taxes to supplement the Medicare D bureaucratic system are ludicrous. Government cannot efficiently or effectively run any business function like the private sector. I would like to see the Medicare D program shuttered and the sale of prescription medication return to the private sector as a private enterprise free market system. The governments intervention into healthcare through Medicare and Medicaid were the downfall of the most available and affordable healthcare system in the world. Shut the government run Medicare AB &D/Medicaid systems down!
Medicare and Medicade have been Mismanaged for decades. It is time for a CLEAN SWEEP….
What I would like to know is why when you get on Medicare, they can deny meds you’ve been taking for years? I’ve been forced to pay out of pocket for meds Medicare will not pay for.
Currently, Medicare is prohibited from negotiating drug prices, which is a huge gift from Congress to their drug company contributors. The VA is now allowed to negotiate drug prices. Give Medicare the authority to negotiate drug prices!
If you are on Medicare, you have seen how much a doctor bill is reduced by Medicare before your 20% share of the reduced amount is calculated.
Now, imagine how much of your prescription drug charges could be reduced if Medicare was allowed to negotiate drug prices with the big drug manufacturers. Change the law that prohibits Medicare from negotiating drug prices with the big drug manufacturers and watch the savings roll in for all Medicare participants.
Check the math on the %’s
Two of your three choices imply that government expenditures will increase, probably by a lot. I am surprised that one of your choices didn’t address the obvious answer: cap or reduce the spending created by this entitlement.
The American economic success was based on the market system of competition. Now the bigger the drug company the stronger the choke hold is on drugs needed, particularly by seniors. Manyseniors look to buying meds from other counties, particlarly Canada & Mexico. The government is making this even more difficult. The playing field needs leveled & healthy competition should improve drug costs.
I would like to see some provision of coverage for alternative health care such as coverage for compounded medicine, chiropractic care and acupuncture and massage therapy.
The drug companies have us all in a chokehold; it will take President to make the change. The problem is Congress-including our sorry republicans who have no backbone to support and fight for the President AND we the people!!!
Also, please eliminate taxing SS payments. We already paid taxes on this $$. Be bold and make this change !!
Of course more choices and lowering costs is good. But, I have been a licensed life and health agent for 42 years. Until drug costs are under some type of control in the USA the problem will continue. An example ; 4 ML of Jublia, a new treatment for nail fungus where patients apply to nail surface themselves, as opposed to the old way of surgery, is very effective. It costs over 500.00 ( with discount) for 4 MLs. That is about a months supply and treatment course is around one year. I can send my prescription to Canada and get 12 MLs shipped to my home from a distributor in the US ( to make it legal) for less than 200.00, a 3 month supply. Same brand name by same manufacturer. It would cost 1500.00 for the same thing here with a discount! And, they are still making a profit at the lower price ! Until the huge price differences from country to country are addressed, we won’t see any real changes!
I was not in favor of Medicare Part D. It is just another Welfare Program. I worked on the implementation of Part D for my state. I could see the enormous cost it was and the doughnut hole was a great way to add more welfare by giving low income individuals even more welfare to cover the doughnut hole costs.
A great choice of plans should include Holistic health remedies that actually help the body heal not the garbage sold by Big pharm that has more dangerous side effects and adds to the cost of their toxic poison. Corruption controls the so called Health industry. with big payoffs by Big Parma racketeers to the Doctors and politicians. Health Care is an illusion.
This is the most hard at work for the people, President, I have evet seen since President Reagan. May God bless him and his family, all people of power who are doing right by the people of these beautiful United States of America.
BH
Change would be good. My Medicare went up and now I am paying for generic medications that I have never paid before.
I don’t feel qualified to comment on this item, as I don’t have part D, due to the fact that I receive most of my prescriptions free via my military retirement. I DO believe that President Trump has America’s BEST interests in mind, with all of his proposals.
I’m curious about the polling numbers. 37%, 64% and 1% is 102%.
Free-anything in the medical field is putting things ripe for abuse, simply because many generic drugs would be distributed but never used. Put generics at $5 per refill so people get only what they need, then use that money to lower the costs of the other meds that do not have generic status, or whose generics simply cannot be profitably produced without any disincentification situation being created.
Drug companies often earn too much for many meds, but if they can’t break even, they will cease production on even important drugs. As much as we may like to look at how the drug companies supported Obamacare and socialized medicine, we must also remember that they must make a little profit on even the simplest of drugs. Remove that profit and then things will really get out of whack. We want government to push positive outcomes, not create supply and demand imbalances.
Richard D: Pharmaceutical TV adds for prescription medicines should be stopped and information given to the doctors and not the patients who must see the doctors to get the prescriptions. This would also reduce the cost of medicines.’
Medicare is one of the large financial threats to our budget and economy. While all of us who are on it would love more and better benefits, these would have to be weighed against the cost. Our debt is already over $21 trillion. Adding significant additional costs to Medicare greatly exacerbates this problem which we are passing on to our children. I would have to see the details of this proposal, including the funding aspects, before I could go along with it.
I still think allowing foreign (Canada) prescription purchases would have a tremendous impact on drug prices (and pharma profits/stock prices and dividends). Investors would be up in arms, patients and medical institutions would be rejoicing. The first contribute $$$ for elections, the latter vote in elections.
As both my husband and I are already in the doughnut hole and it’s only May we would welcome some relief. Many of our prescriptions go from a co-pay of $34.00 dollars to $150.00 and over each month. We both take several expensive drugs!!
I don’t know the details of the proosal, but the current plan as it is, is bad. The donut hole is the dumbest idea I have ever seen and I am an insurance expert!
Those of us with Celiac Disease cannot take generic drugs. The inert ingredients change often and companies cannot verify that they are gluten free. Celiac sites have worked with the government for a long time to get
this resolved and Congress has done nothing. We also need cost savings on medications, however, there needs to be verification that the medications are gluten free.
Those of us with Celiac Disease cannot take generic medications. The inert ingredients often change and the pharmaceutical companies cannot guarantee they are gluten free. Various Celiac groups have tried to work with the government to get this changed, however, Congress has done nothing. We deserve to save on medications too, however, they also must be gluten free.