IT AIN'T OVER TIL THE GRAY LADY SINGS W'S PRAISES:

Drug Coverage in the Face of Deficits (NY Times, 10/02/05)

Protecting the nation's ability to pay for the Medicare drug program is especially compelling now that it is off to an auspicious start. The administration announced last week that an unexpectedly large number of private health plans have been approved to offer drug coverage to elderly Americans, defying predictions that there might be too few companies participating to make the program effective. Ten companies will offer drug coverage to Medicare beneficiaries throughout the country, and many more will offer coverage in various regions. The lure of a vast new market of up to 42 million Medicare beneficiaries proved irresistible to companies that some thought might sit on the sidelines.

The result will be a lot of choice for consumers, with many more options than initially expected. There will also be a lot of competition among plans that should, in theory at least, help hold costs down. The number of companies offering benefits will range from 11 in Alaska to 20 in New York and several other states, with many companies offering multiple plans. Beneficiaries in all but one state will be able to choose plans for less than $20 a month.

These results aren't exactly unexpected--they are after all what the Administration said would happen.

Posted by Orrin Judd at October 2, 2005 9:23 AM