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Jean and Jack Waldo have been happily married for 47 years. Today, retired from Kroger, a nationwide chain of grocery stores where they both worked, they are enjoying each other, their six grandchildren, and their two great grandchildren. Except when it comes to the cost of their prescriptions.
"We're lucky that Kroger's retiree health plan helps us out with the cost of our medication, but if they stopped helping with our drug bills, I don't know what we'd do," Jean said. "We've wanted Medicare to offer a drug benefit for years, but what Congress passed really isn't a Medicare benefit. Under this bill, we'd have to go into an HMO or pay hundreds more a month for a private insurance plan. That terrifies me."
Jean is right to be concerned. The final Medicare bill Congress passed in November discriminates against senior citizens with retiree coverage by providing a smaller federal contribution to their benefits than to other seniors, giving employers no reason to continue offering help. Experts estimate that under the new law, 25 percent of retirees with prescription drug coverage would lose it. Other seniors would get help temporarily, and then lose benefits just when they needed them the most.
"This new program was supposed to help seniors like Jack and me - but instead, we're going to be worse off than we are now. That's shameful."
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