Timothy H. Bishop: “eye-popping figures in the new GAO report just made the case for extending the Medicare part D enrollment deadline a…”

“eye-popping figures in the new GAO report just made the case for extending the Medicare part D enrollment deadline a great deal more compelling. Exhibit A, insurance providers failed to answer phone calls accurately in response to 70 percent of the questions asked by seniors about their benefit. Exhibit B, call centers underestimated out-of-pocket costs seniors have to pay by thousands of dollars. Exhibit C, like the insurance providers, Medicare operators often answered questions incorrectly according to an earlier GAO report. You would figure the extra $400 billion added to the initial price tag of the Medicare bill that the CMS actuaries didn't want to tell us about would at least buy seniors some peace of mind. Instead, part D continues to confuse and frustrate the seniors who, through no fault of their own, have a 3-in-10 chance of receiving the right information about their options. Therefore, Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to help extend the enrollment deadline, repeal the sign-up penalty, and repeal the provision locking seniors into a plan for a year once they sign up, so that they won't have to pay for the consequences of a bad bill for the rest of their lives. ____________________”