On Feb. 20, the Tribune editorialized that “More than one in five Medicare seniors have solved their prescription drug problem by joining some form of health-maintenance organization.” Anybody who believes that by receiving $500 to $1,000 worth of prescription drugs per year is enough help hasn’t seen the price of a prescription lately. The average senior depletes his or her managed-care prescription benefit within the first few months of each year. This leaves the senior financially responsible for the full cost of the prescriptions for the remainder of the year.
Many seniors are forced to pick and choose which prescriptions to get filled based on their financial situation.
The reality of this situation is that economically poor seniors are picking between medicine and eating. Often seniors wi1l end up in the hospital due to non-compliance with their doctor’s suggested medical treatment.
