They went to the Trop for a prescription to use the new Medicare drug plan. But computer ills made it painful for some.
By STEPHEN NOHLGREN, Times Staff Writer
Published November 17, 2005
[Times photo: Cherie Diez]
Lourdes Piedra, left, and Lourdes Rodriguez, center, both of Tampa, compare drug plans Wednesday with help from Tracey Sievertson, Florida coordinator for Medicare Today, at the Senior Extravaganza at Tropicana Field.
ST. PETERSBURG - When Doug and Carole Genereux retired a few years ago, they saved $200 a month by getting her insulin direct from Eli Lilly's patient assistance program.
But Lilly is dropping that program when Medicare's new drug benefit takes effect Jan. 1, Mr. Genereux said, "so now we are scrambling again."
Along with hundreds of others, the Valrico couple parked themselves at a folding metal table at Tropicana Field Tuesday, where volunteers with computers gingerly guided them through Medicare's new drug maze.
The exercise took almost an hour for the Genereuxes because heavy Internet traffic glutted Medicare's Web site. Finally, volunteer Rose Ann Lorenzo's laptop produced some answers.
Three private drug plans would cover all six of Mrs. Genereux's medications and save her about $300 a month. The cheapest plan for her husband might not save a dime because he gets two of his four drugs from the Veterans Affairs Department.
Deciphering Medicare's new landscape is no easy matter, said Mr. Genereux. But the Tropicana expedition was worth it. "We walked away from there much smarter than when we sat down."
Not everyone agreed.
Drug plan counseling, part of a broader "Senior Extravaganza," was dispensed by some of the most informed people in the Tampa Bay area. Medicare had workers there, as did the Social Security Administration. Lorenzo and others came from Florida's SHINE program, which advises older people on insurance matters.
But expertise needs proper tools, and Medicare's Web site often balked at yielding critical pricing and coverage information.
"I have an MBA from the University of Texas, a pretty good school, but this is confusing," said Doug Mahin, 65, of Tarpon Springs. "You can get pizza here. You can get popcorn. You can listen to music, but not what you need to know to make a decision.
"I just want to know which plans will cover my five drugs."
Mahin spent more than 30 minutes watching SHINE volunteer Arthur Rosenberg's computer freeze while trying to enter Mahin's medication onto Medicare's Web site.
"This page cannot be displayed," the computer told Rosenberg his second time through.
In Florida, 19 private insurance companies are marketing 43 different Part D drug plans, which augment Medicare's traditional Part A hospital coverage and Part B doctor coverage.
It's basically a free-for-all. Each plan has different premiums, copayments and deductibles. Plans cover some drugs, but not all, and often restrict access to drugs through quantity limits, prior authorization or "step therapy" which requires patients to try other drugs first.
People on Medicare could contact each company individually and spend hours on the phone with each one. But Medicare's Web site, www.medicare.gov is designed to streamline that search, letting people enter their specific medications and get plan-by-plan lists of prices and restrictions. People who aren't computer savvy can seek help from people who are.
At least that's the theory.
The Web site, fully operational for a week, has been plagued by high-traffic slowdowns, especially at midday. When Tropicana opened its doors at 10 a.m., some people got answers in 20 minutes. By noon, hourlong waits and computer crashes were common.
"The level of interest in the new prescription drug coverage is very encouraging," said Medicare spokesman Peter Ashkenaz.
The Web site had 1-million hits Sunday, five times as many as last year. Medicare is trying to increase Web site speed and capacity quickly, Ashkenaz said.
"It is important to remember that people have plenty of time to enroll in order to get coverage on Jan 1."
Francoise and Earnest Helme of St. Pete Beach figure they might even wait until after Jan. 1 to sign up. Let the dust settle a bit. She takes no drugs, and he takes only folic acid at $6 a pop. Still, they plan to join a low-premium plan, she said.
"Maybe we are healthy one month, but the next month we will be deathly ill and need coverage."
