On Reading Decision Points - Medicare Part D

I was working in a pharmacy when Medicare Part D took effect - it was interesting trying to get seniors to sign up and to understand what was going on. My generation's frustration with seniors who refuse to learn how to use the internet came to the surface as I imagined all the grannies and grandpas tying up phone lines while they were explained things that could easily be learned in a quick internet search (my general philosophy is that if I can't find it on the internet, it's not worth doing).

I remember being frustrated with seniors who entered the "donut hole" and then complained about it. They were getting their drugs covered, which was new to them, so they should take what they can get! I get very short-tempered when Medicare and Social Security issues hit the news because I know my generation is paying for it all but will probably never see any benefits of it.

So, yeah, a $400 billion expansion of a hated entitlement made my blood boil, especially as it was implemented under my favorite president. But after reading his side of the story in Decision Points, I have to give him a little more credit.

One purpose of the program was actually to save money. As he said in his book, at the time Medicare would not cover preventative drugs but would cover expensive surgeries after a problem had occurred. In other words, why not cover the blood pressure medicine to avoid paying for the heart attack. The logic is sound, and if it had saved Medicare money, I would have been all for that.

In addition, many problems I had with the program were the result of Democrat interference and "bipartisan" compromise. I understand that sometimes compromises are needed to get things done in Washington, and that they are a way to keep the minority party represented. However, in my experience compromise means "expensive" as interest add on and on to a bill. I would have preferred that the president pull out of the bill if it ended up costing ANY money instead of saving money in the long run on preventative care.

Still, I am glad that, having read his thought process, I now understand where he was coming from. One of the biggest disappointments coming from this president turned out to have been a reasonable idea after all.