"Medicare Road Show" Visits Pittsburgh
By Jane Flanders
Special to Families USA  On Monday, March 29, I attended the "Medicare Road Show," held at the Elizabeth Seton Senior Center in Brookline, just outside of Pittsburgh. It was organized by Families USA, a nonprofit advocacy group, devoted to the purpose of informing senior citizens about the pitfalls and drawbacks in the recently passed Medicare Bill.
There was a mixed crowd, elderly residents of the center as well as various other interested people. Guests sat in relaxed groups and chatted over pastries and coffee before the presentation began. Packets of information were available at every table.  After introductions, the basic message was laid out in a brief film narrated by Walter Cronkite: skyrocketing drug costs, which have soared in price three times the cost of living. Most effective was the testimony of several elderly people, who declared flatly that the bill would do nothing to lower the cost of prescription drugs. The technicalities of the bill -- deductibles and exemptions -- were briefly summarized, although the absurd complexity of the legislation came through clearly.
Our local congressman, Rep. Mike Doyle, of the 14th Congressional District, spoke briefly and powerfully about the drawbacks of the bill, the explicit favors granted to the drug companies and prohibition of re-importation. He detailed the very questionable circumstances of its passage at 6:00 a.m. after the vote had been held open for three hours. He was the only one of the state congressional delegation who voted against the bill, and he made a strong, clear case for its unethical, even corrupt, favoritism toward big pharma and the insurance industry. Delaying its implementation until 2006 is a strong indication that even those who backed the bill are aware that it will be very unpopular when its impact is felt. He answered a number of questions from a very interested audience. Other speakers discussed how the bill would affect seniors and people with disabilities, all emphasizing the serious drawbacks of the legislation, notably the uncertainties associated with the new prescription drug cards. The repeated message was not to leave any other kind of drug coverage program -- especially PACE -- in favor of the flawed new prescription drug discount card program. The meeting was well organized and very successful in getting the message out. I was pleased to see a television camera recording the proceedings, as well as a reporter from our local NPR radio station, which broadcast clips from the meeting as a feature of the local news all day. There should be many more such meetings across the country. | 
