The LA Times's Pulitzer Prize winning business columnist Michael Hiltzik is, dare I say, the West Coast's Paul Krugman: sharp and encyclopedic. He drives the wingnuts to distraction, as
TBogg pointed out not too long ago when Hiltzik publically humiliated LA prosecutor "Patterico" (sorry, no links to wingnuts) on Hiltzik's
GoldenState blog.
Well, today was so friggin' priceless, he may have needled the crazies into tipping their hand on the entire Medicare-D debace. His column today (1/19), Bush's Catastrophic Drug Benefit (Part One) so pissed off insurance uber-insider Bill Thomas (R-Tulsa Bakersfield), Thomas fired off a livid letter to Times editors worthy of the most desperate FReeper.
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Thomas' screed shows that he, and by extension the entire DC GOP is terrified over Medicare-D.
First, here's the bit that made Thomas lose it (juicy bits highlighted):
The Medicare drug benefit is shaping up as the single most cynical scam perpetrated by the Bush Administration on American consumers. Designed to maximize profits for drugmakers and health insurers, the program was launched so ineptly Jan. 1 that hundreds of thousands of patients have been prevented by computer glitches from filling their prescriptions. California and 25 other states have had to step in temporarily to pay for improperly rejected prescription claims.
Thus far, the most seriously affected patients are those enrolled in both Medicare, which covers the disabled and people over 65, and Medicaid, which covers the poor (known in California as Medi-Cal). Unlike Medicare-only members, for whom the new benefit is voluntary, these patients were automatically enrolled in the new system as of January 1.
But their difficulties are the tip of the iceberg. Some Medicare patients will find that their prescription costs under the new program will actually be higher than before, in some cases rising beyond their ability to pay. Others will be so confused by its unnecessary complexity that they may avoid enrolling at all.
snip
The health plans have filled the vacuum with glossy marketing brochures, some of which are flagrantly misleading. "You're pitting big corporations against the most vulnerable people in society, and you're telling them that they can't turn to the people they trust for advice," observes Thomas R. Clark, director of policy and advocacy for the American Society of Consultant Pharmacists, an organization of pharmacists specializing in geriatric and long-term care.
It's worth remembering that the prescription drug program was born in an act of fraud. The Bush Administration sold it to Congress in 2003 by estimating its cost at less than $400 billion over 10 years. Scarcely a month after its enactment, the White House issued a new estimate: $535 billion. That figure might well have killed the bill, which had passed the House by a razor-thin margin even with the lower price tag.
It soon came to light that Richard Foster, Medicare's chief actuary, had known of the higher estimate - but had been told he'd be fired if he warned Congress before the vote. (The current estimate is $700 billion.)
As written, the legislation complied with a drug industry demand that Medicare be prohibited from negotiating with manufacturers for lower drug prices. Among those helping the industry make its stand was Rep. Billy Tauzin (R-Louisiana), whose committee on energy and commerce oversaw Medicare. In an odoriferous development, Tauzin soon quit Congress to become president of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America - Big Pharma's Washington lobbying group.
Here's Thomas' clench-jawed response:
Michael Hiltzik's diatribe about the Medicare drug benefit ["Medicare Drug Plan Looks Like a Big Scam," 1.19.06] is a cynical attempt to scare seniors away from a program that helps them.
After just three weeks, the program is filling 40,000 prescription drug claims per hour. Nearly four million people have voluntarily signed up for coverage. Real people are saving real money.
Hiltzik tries to divert seniors' attention away from these savings by comparing apples to oranges when talking about outdated cost estimates for the overall program - estimates that will be continually updated as the program moves forward. The bottom line is that competition is working - seniors are saving money on prescriptions.
While the Medicare drug benefit faced some early implementation challenges, those issues are being resolved; for millions of people the program is literally a life-saver.
The only scam here is the way Hiltzik is scaring money and medicine right out of seniors' pockets.
(Any guess as to his FR screen name?)
Sure enough, it didn't take Hiltzek long to shred this flimsy wall of noise. Watch the carnage here. Thomas, who may literally french kiss insurance company lobbiests (we report, you decide), should be able to do better than an amateur wingnut (we painted 40,000 new schools! Iraq is mostly desert peaceful!). That he can't, exposes a deep, deep problem.
Kidding aside, Medicare-D, to borrow inspiration from Hiltzik, looks like the GOP's defining fiasco. How, after weeks of known problems, after GOP governors' desperate emergency measures, does heavyweight Bill friggin' Thomas not have better talking points? Either Karl Rove is dead, or this turd won't blossom.
There it is for you kids, right before your eyes. On a silver platter.
(edited for format, etc.)
update: I edited the headline for general appeal, deleting the bloggy-insiderish "Fisking" reference. But do go read the latest Hiltzik post. Most significant takedown of the year.
update 2: C'mon West Coasters. Recommend this sucker so it's still alive when the rest of our friends wake up in the morning.