Fitz on Drugs

A nicely served whack, courtesy of Senator Fitzgerald...

Doyle Administration Kicks 2,200 Patients Out Of SeniorCare

Fitzgerald blasts DHFS decision to unilaterally move seniors from state program to Medicare Part D

[Madison, Wisc.] State Senator Scott Fitzgerald (R - Juneau) today decried a Doyle administration decision to move 2,200 eligible SeniorCare patients from the state's prescription drug program to the federal Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit program.

"I am appalled that the Doyle Administration would kick more than two thousand eligible seniors out of the SeniorCare program without notice," Fitzgerald said. "It is unconscionable that the state would force these seniors into a new prescription drug program without notice and without offering them any assistance in selecting the Medicare Part D plan which best suits their needs."

Fitzgerald first became aware of the Doyle administration's secret decision to kick patients out of SeniorCare after a pharmacist in Horicon filled a prescription for a SeniorCare patient, only to be told by the Department of Health and Family Services (DHFS) that the patient was no longer eligible for SeniorCare benefits.

Further investigation revealed that the patient was one of 2,200 SeniorCare enrollees whose names were submitted to the federal government by DHFS and involuntarily enrolled in the Medicare Part D prescription drug program.

"To forcibly remove eligible seniors from SeniorCare and enroll them in Medicare without notice, consultation or assistance is beyond comprehension," Fitzgerald said.

Governor Doyle should apologize to the 2,200 people, reinstate their SeniorCare benefits and explain publicly why he directed DHFS to take such drastic, indefensible action."

Fitzgerald noted that all of the patients affected by the Doyle Administration's decision were eligible for SeniorCare and had paid their enrollment fee. The state has offered assistance to other individuals who are moving from SeniorCare or other state programs to Medicare Part D, to ensure that these individuals pick the plan that best meets their individual needs.

"We fought hard in the most recent state budget to avoid cuts in SeniorCare eligibility so current enrollees could continue to participate in the program," Fitzgerald said. "It's a shame that Jim Doyle's administration has decided to arbitrarily undo this work and kick eligible seniors out of SeniorCare."

While I personally think we're foolishly subsidizing the pharmaceutical industry with some of these programs, the Administration was wrong to arbitrarily and secretively shuttle these Seniors from one program to another without helping them pick the Part D plan that works best for them.