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Lawmakers at odds on drug plan

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WASHINGTON -- South Caro-lina lawmakers said they are committed to the needs of more than 300,000 state seniors enrolled in Medicare prescription drug plans, but they differ sharply on whether the program was ready to move forward in the first place.

Republican Sens. Lindsey Graham and Jim DeMint, who both voted against the drug plan in 2003, said the problems should have been anticipated.

"Now, I see some of my worst fears coming true," Graham said in a statement Friday. "I hope Congress reviews and makes the necessary reforms to the prescription drug program before it gets further out of hand. If we don't, it's going to be a nightmare of a program."

DeMint said start-up glitches are to be expected with a program of this magnitude, but he said that doesn't take away from the overall flaws in the program.

"I anticipated many of these problems because the federal government cannot manage health care; it's too complex and too personal to deliver real results," DeMint said in an e-mail. "Yet, even though I voted against it, I am going to do everything I can to make sure it works for our seniors."

Breakdowns in the administration of the drug plans in recent weeks have resulted in seniors being overcharged or being enrolled in plans that don't cover needed drugs. Some low-income seniors, known as dual-eligibles, were supposed to be enrolled automatically in plans but found they were not in the system.

According to the state Department of Health and Human Services, 120,000 dual-eligible seniors were supposed to be enrolled in drug plans. The number constitutes almost one-third of South Carolinians who have enrolled so far in various Medicare plans.

Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C., an ardent supporter of the drug plan passed in 2003, said initial breakdowns are expected when overhauling a national health-care system.

"I regret if any of this is disruptive, but part of it really relates to the fact that we were trying to create a system where there were a lot of choices," Wilson said. "If you think this was disruptive by having so many choices, I can assure you that if you have no choices there would be people falling through the cracks with no choice at all."

Wilson said there was "great forethought" given to the changeover in the drug plan. He cited programs such as a 30-day transition period where providers are required to cover drugs the patient took under an older plan, regardless of whether that drug is covered by the new plan.

But Michelle Strollo, a Medicare policy analyst for the Kaiser Family Foundation in Washington, said many drug providers and pharmacists were uninformed about the transition policy and other safeguards.

"These are more than bumps. These are just system breakdowns that really resulted in (low-income, elderly beneficiaries) bearing the brunt and the sickest people going without coverage," she said.

Strollo acknowledged that the transition of 6.2 million of dual-eligible seniors is an enormous task, but she said that trying to do the switch overnight should have been a red flag.

Chris Kirkham writes for the Medill News Service in Washington. To comment on this story, please go to islandpacket.com.