The NYT has an article reporting on how hundreds of thousands of low-income Medicare beneficiaries may find themselves suddenly paying much more for their prescriptions on January 1, if they don't take the right steps to ensure that they are properly registered to receive means-tested benefits, or that they are enrolled in a plan that provides the drugs they need. This is yet one more benefit of having competing private plans. I'm sure these seniors can't wait to sift through the various options again. Since this had been an issue that troubled members of Congress prior to the election, it would have been worth mentioning the political implications of these problems.
--Dean Baker
