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--- Begin Message ----Caveat Lector-*This message was transferred with a trial version of CommuniGate(tm) Pro* AUDREY'S MISSILES A weekly newsletter dedicated to the peaceful reform of the United States government. THAT CARD AGAIN We floated a trial balloon. We sent requests for price quotations on a list of specific drugs to three pharmacies in Central California. The request included questions on State and Federal discounts, and they were put in the US mail. When a week passed with no responses, we followed up with faxes, visits to the pharmacies, and finally we asked these retailers if they were refusing to give price information. This pressure brought limited results. Yes, they did quote the prices on the list of drugs, but no, they did not give out any information at all regarding the discounts. No retailer signed the quotes. Why? We know that drug companies and other card providers can change prices each week on the drugs they supply, even to Medicare cardholders. They can also change the lists of drugs on which discounts are available, but the cardholder is stuck with what he or she bought (except for that very limited time window at the end of the year when changing cards costs another thirty dollars). The setup is plainly unfair. It gives rise to the possibility of the old fraud called "bait and switch". In fact, Mark McClellan, head of CMS (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services) has said that they will monitor transactions to make sure that a consumer does not buy a card after having been assured that the card offers a discount on the particular drug he buys, only to find out later that the offer has been dropped. One retailer told me that he would not know how much the discount would be until he "plugged in" the customer's card in his computer. (Customer is supposed to buy a card without knowing what the prices or the discount will be?) We wonder just how CMS can possibly monitor the many millions of transactions involved. Yes, a consumer can complain to Medicare, but since the law permits bait and switch will that complaint have any real effect? When we called, the people on the telephone line at Medicare refused to send information either by e-mail or fax. When the consumer cannot get necessary information in writing, how can he file a complaint? They know they can be sued, and so the word probably went out, "Don't put anything in writing." If it can be proved that incorrect or misleading information is given either by the retailer or the people at Medicare, a lawsuit could involve everyone in the distribution chain for that particular purchase. Another possible reason for withholding information on discounts could be that the pharmacist does not have it either! Although the people at Medicare assured me that they did not think that this would be a problem, there is also the possibility that some retailers might not be passing that discount on to the customer. It seems that everyone in the business knows that the setup is a raw deal and an invitation to fraud. Congress has passed a law which makes fraud simple, easy, and even legal! It is further proof, if anyone needed proof by now, that our Congress has been bought and paid for by the drug industry. Just a footnote: The AARP endorsed and helped to get the 2003 Medicare Bill through the Congress. SEND US E-MAIL ADDRESSES It is our hope that the information in this newsletter will be copied and distributed widely. Topics covered are those which are not adequately treated on TV or in the press. The Fax edition of AUDREYS MISSILES is distributed only in the 209 calling area, but the e-mail edition is published world-wide on the internet. Both editions are free. Fax 209 847-7588 or write [EMAIL PROTECTED] to comment, or to join or leave the lists. ====================================== Audrey's Missiles is an moderated maillist about government reform. 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