A month ago, I wrote a 20-page piece on the Medicare drug benefit that has been distributed to seniors across the nation. I have never written anything so difficult in my life, in part because it had to be written in sixth-grade English, but also because the plan is so complex.
I see few mentions of the "hole" between in the press. Many seniors will fall into the gap. The bar for extra financial help for people with limited income/assets to cover the gap is ridiculous--income needs to be <$14,355/year. Can a retired person making $20,000/year afford the $32 monthly premium, $250 deductible, $500 for the first $2000 in drugs, plus $2850 for the gap?
I am so tempted to make political comments here, but I won't. Suffice it to say that I am a very unhappy libertarian.