How to Fix Plan D Overnight

I called my Congressman today to ask him how big his donut hole is. Guess what? He doesn't have a donut hole. Nor does he have to pay out of pocket for drugs not covered. In fact, the People's House lives by very different rules than you and I. Is that fair? Read Frank's modest proposal.

Congress is like the pigs in "Animal Farm." We're all equal, but some are more equal than others, i.e., those who make the rules. Joe Mirman

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Frank, this is the best column you ever wrote. I keep wondering why our media friends never talk about how different Congressional & Executive Branch benefits are from the rest of us'n's. I'm willing to give federal judges more. They are specialists who trained their minds at great sacrifice, in some cases. And, there aren't so many of them. But the elected officials & their appointees are bleeding the rest of us dry, entitling themselves to our taxes.

Thanks so much for pointing it out. And, another idea, the way to fix the whole medical care problem by opening med schools to enough students to treat the population we've got going untreated (I'm one, right now) is way overdue. Robin S. Kuykendall

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You nailed it. I am sending to everyone I know. Allen Rossman

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Thank you as always for all the great work you are doing to show up this farce of a drug program. Our leaders have given the pharmaceuticals a ticket to further wealth on the backs of the people once again. I mistakenly enrolled in the AARP version of this mess only to find out that I'll be saving nothing as compared with Canadian drugs. My latest shock came when I found that I could get a prescription from Costco at $24.89 that would cost me $55 with the AARP program. Amazing and disgusting. Randy De Trinis

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Rather than burdening Congress with "Plan D" we should take their plan. Don't ya think! Wm. Tiep

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Do you know what is making me angry? No response from the Congressman (or his aide) in AZ and IL that I have written to. I guess they don't want to know about the truth. Or change it. I've written them a number of times over the last three months.

I think we need a billboard in Washington DC that says...

To our elected officials: When will you start representing the American people and not the Moneyed Special Interests? T. Braun

Great idea, Tom! Anyone else in for funding a D.C. billboard? Frank

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Go get 'em, Frank. Great essay! BTW, the letters I sent to my senators and congressman have received no reply yet. Mac Thorlton

Lots of Suddenly Senior readers are telling me that they don't even get the courtesy of a form letter anymore when writing Congress. Apparently, those guys are so securely gerrymandered in, they don't even bother with the niceties anymore. Frank

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I enjoy your newsletter very much. While we're at it, let's put Washington on Social Security as well. Keep up the good work. Jeff Mars

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Frank I liked your line: I wanted to know how big my Congressman's donut hole is. I thought it was a very funny double entendre. I'd like to enlarge all of congress's doughnut holes with a baseball bat for what they've done to the seniors of this country. Keep up the good work. Bill Weber

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I read this week's Suddenly Senior re: Plan D with intense interest and fury boiling in my innards, lat the congressman, etc. all the bigwigs whose financial privileges differ completely from the 'ordinary folks' who get the shoddy and shabby 'beneficial' plans.

Frank what can we seniors do (am 83 and sending this on my friends and to my sons, too). Going to Costco, Canadian pharmacies, and trying to figure out for ourselves which plan is best for our particular situations. With sincere thanks to you. Augusta

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But Frank, you're going to have to elect a new congress consisting of senior citizens, preferably those with incomes under $22,500. Dixie Sylvester

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Consider: The US, like Europe, has farm subsidies. But the real benefit goes to the larger and richer farms. And so with "universal" drug coverage. The bigger benefit will flow to the richer and stronger ones. Is the nature of the game. At the end, to get proper coverage, is necessary to specifically target the poorer and weaker - but will capitalist theory accept that. Do ponder - not retaliate! Wanna cut Medicare costs - create an environment where drugs produced in low cost countries can enter the market easily (but with genuine quality controls - not quality protectionism dressed up as quality control. And we talk about free trade - why not also free trade for selling to US. Do ponder - not retaliate! Ruth Holland

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With 4999 other teen-aged malcontents & you , Frank , we will assay to unseat the Tsar & place the Country in the capable hands of the Cossacks & Liberal Arts/ Political Science Students. To the Barricades, y'all! Richard Nolte

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What a cool article...I have been suggesting this for years...I agree with you 100 %. All seniors already know that those in Washington are Kings, Queens, and Lords...we are only the people who pay them to protect us, watch over us, and nursemaid us....What kind of job have they done...? Well you have expressed one segment of their work with this brilliant article. Suppose you have heard, the Fed's have been catching Minnesota Seniors drug purchases from Canada at the border. Trying to stop all activity even though a Republican Gov. has got the drug plan for us to buy from Canada without us going by bus anymore. Seems the agents grab the packages worth hundreds of dollars...and will not give them back. Nice heh? This news story was in the Twin cities papers weeks back. Keep up the good work...more and more seniors are getting the message...only wish the LORD s in Washington would get the message! Pats on the Back for a job well done! Dean Mattila

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Are you aware that the minute you enroll in the medicare boondoggle drug plan that you are officially signing up to have medicare take whatever the amount they feel they want to have .....out of your social security check as your enrollment fee for the drug plan.......and they are going to take that money out every month for that drug plan whether you use it or not. Have you ever tried to chase a thief down the street and tried to get your money back after he had robbed you? Loretta McLeod

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Love your newsletters and I especially like the idea of sharing our wonderful plans with congressman and the senate. They should have to do what we do to try to get coverage. What a huge mess it all is. Just got back from Physical Therapy and Medicare has put a cap on it so my therapist printed out what I should do at home since I am motivated with a decrease in pain of about 40%. I have 4 visits left for 2006 for chronic rotator cuff tear. Orthopedic Dr. wrote the prescription not knowing there was a cap on it now. Bush's wonderful new Medicare coverage....right? She said it included speech therapy this time and never did before. I think 12 visits of either or. Aren't we seniors lucky to have him for president? Jackie Keesee