Can this briefly be answered without getting political?

[lsyorke]

Well, I thought the same thing as the PP, too...

http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalp...alth-care-the-doughnut-hole-will-be-gone.html

The event today at the Holiday Park Multipurpose Senior Center in Wheaton, Maryland -- dubbed by the White House as a “national telephone-town hall meeting” -- was meant to mark the first mailing of the $250 “doughnut hole” rebate checks starting to be sent to seniors on Thursday.

The White House says this – within the Affordable Care Act -- will help more than 4 million seniors by the end of this year.

“Beginning next year, if you fall into the coverage gap, you'll get a 50-percent discount on the brand-name medicine that you need,” Obama touted, “And by 2020 -- it's being phased in, but by 2020, this law will close the doughnut hole completely. The doughnut hole will be gone. It will be gone.”

Thank for backing up my accurate information!

 

[Holly]

I think this is a totally false statement which shouldn't be made as if it were a fact. This is nothing more than an opinion and should be stated as such. It's curious how many opinions and theories get farmed off as facts these days.

It's not a false statement and I'd like to see your proof that it is.


I'm sure your head's spinning around at the health care reform doing any actual good but it WILL help people like the man C. Ann was concerned about.

 

[IFLOSIRI]

IT ALL DEPENDS WHAT TYPE OF INSURANCE YOU HAVE AND WHAT YOUR CO PAY IS. YOU HAVE TO ALWAYS CHECK TO SEE IF A GENERIAC PRESCRIPTION IS AVAILABLE FOR THAT TYPE OF MEDICINE. GENERARIC ALOT CHEAper.

 

[Mimi1965]

Not EVERY medicine HAS a Generic

Mine dont-My DH's don't

 

[okeydokey]

I think this is a totally false statement which shouldn't be made as if it were a fact. This is nothing more than an opinion and should be stated as such. It's curious how many opinions and theories get farmed off as facts these days.

No, actually you are totally false. The Health Care Law DOES take care of this problem and that it a fact.

 

[LisaR]

yes it is. It also makes me wonder why the store did not offer him the generics or why he didn't get it else where for $4.00

You do realize that MANY drugs are NOT part of the $4 program, right? And some drugs do not come in a generic or the generic may not work as well for some patients.

I have never met a pharmacist that is out to screw a patient. If there was a $4 drug available instead, I highly doubt the pharmacist would have insisted that the guy pay hundreds of dollars instead and when he couldn't, let the man walk away.

 

[C.Ann]

For those who mentioned it, the man did ask if there was a generic available and there isn't..

This pharmacy is good at trying to work with their customers, so I'm sure no one there was trying to take advantage of him.. Just one of those "caught between a rock and a hard place" situations..

Thanks for all who had helpful replys.. I have the answers I was looking for and there's no need to argue or turn this into a political debate - okay?

 

[SandrA9810]

I know from my aunt, that as a medicare recipient, they are only allowed to have prescriptions filled in the generic form. Unless one is not available, or the doctor specifically states that it has to be named brand.

My grandmother takes kepra, a seizure medicine. She has tried several different generics, but they never worked well for her as the name brand. Almost every other prescription fill, my aunt would have to argue with Walgreens to fill it with the name brand. And usually some snooty new girl would say "well she's on medicare and can only get the generic". But because she has Humana, she can choose which kind she wants to get without going through the doctor.

So I'm fairly sure that this guy's prescription was already a generic form. And I've never had a pharmacy not ask about wanting the generic over the name brand.
But my aunt has been able to get several "one time doses" of name brand scripts from her doctor. So it's an avenue to go down if it's a short term need.

 

[Mimi1965]

It's something I won't have to deal with for 6 years or so down the road - and my late DH didn't have issues because his medications were through the VA..

..

I am curious why things will change for you in 6 years?
You dont seem to work-so how do you pay for your medication now?
Why would that change in 6 years?

When people retire from a job and no longer have health insurance from their job-that is what the donut hole is about.

 

[allison443]

I think this is a totally false statement which shouldn't be made as if it were a fact. This is nothing more than an opinion and should be stated as such. It's curious how many opinions and theories get farmed off as facts these days.

Do you have a link that shows the statement is false?

 

[LuvOrlando]

Do you have a link that shows the statement is false?

What?

 

[LuvOrlando]

No, actually you are totally false. The Health Care Law DOES take care of this problem and that it a fact.

See how you are disagreeing with me, the fact we can disagree is the precise reason these are opinions not facts.

 

[allison443]

As part of the Health Reform, the donut hole will slowly disappear as change roll out over the next few years, and be gone by 2020. Seniors got checks for $250 this year in an attempt to help out while the new changes take effect.

I think this is a totally false statement which shouldn't be made as if it were a fact. This is nothing more than an opinion and should be stated as such. It's curious how many opinions and theories get farmed off as facts these days.

Do you have any links to FACTS which show the the "donut hole" will NOT be gone by 2020, and any FACTS which show that seniors did NOT get checks for $250? Since others have said people got the checks, were those posters lying?

 

[allison443]

See how you are disagreeing with me, the fact we can disagree is the precise reason these are opinions not facts.

No, if two people disagree on something that is a FACT, that means one person is right and one person is wrong.
You can have an opinion on whether it's a good thing or not, but your opinion doesn't make the statement untrue.

 

[nuttylawprofessor]

See how you are disagreeing with me, the fact we can disagree is the precise reason these are opinions not facts.

No. We could disagree about whether 1+1=2. Our disagreement does not make the answer "2" an opinion.

People have given facts, not opinions, about the gap in coverage and when and how it will be phased out.

And apparently I'm on the same wavelength as Allison....

 

[allison443]

No. We could disagree about whether 1+1=2. Our disagreement does not make the answer "2" an opinion.

People have given facts, not opinions, about the gap in coverage and when and how it will be phased out.

And apparently I'm on the same wavelength as Allison....

Haha, legal minds think alike....

 

[cm8]

You do realize that MANY drugs are NOT part of the $4 program, right? And some drugs do not come in a generic or the generic may not work as well for some patients.

I have never met a pharmacist that is out to screw a patient. If there was a $4 drug available instead, I highly doubt the pharmacist would have insisted that the guy pay hundreds of dollars instead and when he couldn't, let the man walk away.

I do realize that many aren't as I currently hold a medical license. I know some drugs DO NOT have generics and may not work as well, but if he were given more choices, he would not have had to walk away w/o his meds is all I was trying to say. Never mentioned anyone trying to screw the man. Just wondered why he did not mention an alternative to the drug when he knew the man did not have the funds to get the medicine


ETA: just read what you wrote OP and I understand that a generic was not available. Glad to know that this pharmacy does value their patients. I hope that man contacted his physician for some samples...... I know that you are not looking for an argument, here's to hoping that you won't get one !

 

[lsyorke]

See how you are disagreeing with me, the fact we can disagree is the precise reason these are opinions not facts.

Roflmao! Uh, people are entitled to their own opinions...they are not entitled to their own inaccurate facts!

The removal of the donut hole is going to be a huge relief to many seniors.

 

[eliza61]

I was at the drug store this morning - sitting at the counter waiting for my scripts to be filled.. Meanwhile an elderly gentleman was called up to the counter to get his script and pay for it and I literally thought he was going to have a heart attack right on the spot.. $277 for 30 pills!!!

So he proceeds to talk to the pharmacist - and me - at the same time - about how this can't possibly be.. The pharmacist informs him that he has fallen into the "Medicare donut hole"..

It's something I won't have to deal with for 6 years or so down the road - and my late DH didn't have issues because his medications were through the VA..

So - just exactly what is this Medicare donut hole? This poor man was so shaken up (he couldn't pay for it and had to leave without it), if I had the extra cash I think I wouldn have paid for it for him..

Can someone explain this to me?

Thanks..

Whew boy, do I know about this one. My dad used to have to cough up 1000's of bucks for his medicine.

Basically there is currently a huge gap in medicare provisions that require seniors to pay out of pocket for most of their prescriptions.

The seniors in my family have been told by their physcians that the hole is schedule to be phased out over the next couple of years. We are extremely happy about that.

 

[mnrose]

What?

What people are asking is whether you have any PROOF (e.g., FACTS) to back up your opinion as previously stated. Since you have refused to provide any, one can only assume that your OPINION is just that...an opinion and not fact.

Despite rabid media to the contrary, the health care law DOES do some good for many people. You can not like it. That's your right as an American. Go for it. However, please do not call people liars for simply stating, accurately, what the law does.