“The Check’s in the Mail” — Now Send It Back!
Politico has an article this morning regarding the “doughnut hole” rebate checks being sent to seniors: “No sooner than the Administration dropped the first batch of $250 Medicare rebate checks in the mail, they have already run into their first snafu.” Specifically, the state of Vermont’s low-income program – which provides “doughnut hole” coverage to 2,800 seniors – is asking those beneficiaries to send their rebate checks to the state government. So either some Vermont seniors will be provided with a $250 check at federal taxpayers’ expense to cover the cost of a benefit they’re already receiving from the state, or the Administration will once again have over-promised and under-delivered on the “benefits” provided by their new health law.
While the Administration and Vermont officials continue arguing over who will receive the $250 checks – with low-income seniors stuck in the middle – it’s once again worth asking: How does any of this bureaucratic wrangling constitute “reform?”