Medicare Drug Disaster

Who couldn't have seen this coming, really?

Two weeks into the new Medicare prescription drug program, many of the nation's sickest and poorest elderly and disabled people are being turned away or overcharged at pharmacies, prompting more than a dozen states to declare health emergencies and pay for their life-saving medicines.

Computer glitches, overloaded telephone lines and poorly trained pharmacists are being blamed for mix-ups that have resulted in the worst of unintended consequences: As many as 6.4 million low-income seniors, who until Dec. 31 received their medications free, suddenly find themselves navigating an insurance maze of large deductibles, co-payments and outright denial of coverage.

Two nights ago, I witnessed a man walk away from the drug counter at a Baton Rouge Walgreen's without his medicine. The pharmacy clerk told him that Medicaid no longer covered the cost. Apparently, he had not known that he needed to enroll in Medicare Part D. His face registered equal parts anger and despair. This is not public service.

With the exception of the pharmaceutical industry, can someone tell me who is being helped by this disastrous program?