Ill feelings over Medicare drug plan

Re “Medicare Drug Plans Often Not the Bargain Some Expect,” April 18

As a pharmacist and Medicare recipient, I sympathize with seniors who find little or no savings after signing up for Medicare Part D. The benefits to the insurance industry and drug manufacturers are obvious, but the benefits to patients are minimal. At a cost of $700 billion over 10 years, Medicare (i.e. taxpayers) will pay insurance companies $1,124 annually per Part D patient, or 29% of the drug costs previously supplied under private plans at no cost to the government. Drug manufacturers do not have to discount prices for Part D as they do for other drug programs.

Part D is possibly the most wasteful federal health program in history. It should be simplified to provide true benefits for patients.

BILL MEAD

Oak View, Calif.

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Now that Part D is up and running, it is interesting to finally see the amount the government is subsidizing each policy -- $1,124. That plus the average premium of $324 is virtually the same as the 75% of $2,250 that many insurance companies may have to pay out. Many of us who take only a few drugs enrolled because of the threat of a penalty. After this year is over, I think we will be back to Costco and Canada, our solution for the last several years. As we suspected, this plan helps drug and insurance companies plus the few whose annual drug bills are more than $5,100.

CARYL WADSWORTH

La Mirada