AARP Advertisements Explain Impact of Proposed Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit for Beneficiaries
AARP on Tuesday ran an advertisement in the New York Times and several other major newspapers explaining "[w]hat the new prescription drug benefit will do" for the average Medicare beneficiary. The ad, which states that it contains "[j]ust the facts," notes that the benefit "isn't perfect" but is "an important step forward that we can build on in the future." The ad says that the benefit protects traditional Medicare; gives all beneficiaries access to drug coverage; is voluntary; helps those who need prescription drug help the most; protects those with the highest drug costs; protects existing employer-sponsored retiree coverage; provides new preventive services for beneficiaries; and creates a prescription drug discount card to give "immediate help" with drug costs. "[W]e promise to keep fighting to make your prescription drugs more affordable," the ad concludes (New York Times, 12/2). NPR's "Fresh Air" on Tuesday will include a discussion on Medicare reform and the rising cost of health care with Arthur Caplan, director of the University of Pennsylvania's Center for Bioethics; Chris Butler, chief marketing officer for Independence Blue Cross of Southeastern Pennsylvania; and Sherry Glied, chair of Columbia University's Department of Health Policy and Management (Gross, "Fresh Air," NPR, 12/2). The full segment will be available online in RealPlayer after the broadcast.
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