The General Accouting Office has released results of an independant review of Medicare Operators regarding information they are or are not providing regarding the new Medicare part D drug plan. They called 1-800-Medicare which is the number the government is using to provide help and information on the mess known as the Medicare drug plan, one of the Shrub's supposed 'highlights' of his administation.
It ain't good. The GAO placed 500 calls to the government operators responsible for handing questions from seniors and disabled citizens on the program. The Deadline for signing up for coverage under the plan without penalty is May 15th.
Of the 500 calls placed at least ONE-THIRD were given incorrect information and in some cases NO information at all. The wait time to talk to an operator ran as high as almost an hour, which I guess shows why information wasn't handed out..ya think?
The report also states that the promotional pamphlets and materials used too much technical jargon and the website is so confusing many people gave up before finishing the registration process.
The Shrub's minion responded by calling the report, out-dated, inaccurate ,incomplete...and unfortunate. No shit its unfortunate..for the consumers trying to sign up prior to the administration's deadline. If consumers sign up after the deadline, they will be assessed a higher life-long premium which increases each month after the administrations imposed deadline.
Advocacy groups have been screaming for some time that the government's program is a mess, impossible to understand and the deadline needs to be dropped or moved out so the remaining 12-15 million disabled and elderly recipients can sign up without penalties.
Ah..our tax dollars at work..isn't it grand? Truthout has an article up about the report here.
Contact your representatives and demand they extend the current deadline of May 15th. Everyone has a relative or loved one affected by this program.
