Don't believe the hype

I feel badly for the enrollees who'Â’ve had trouble getting their drugs under the newly launched Medicare Part D program, but it may lead to a good outcome for the country by discouraging additional enrollment.

Part D is fiscally irresponsible and I hope it gets scrapped. That is more likely to happen if enrollment falls short of expectations, because it will force premiums to rise (as discussed earlier.) The Administration has been busy encouraging Medicare recipients to enroll and has also put out misleading progress updates that suggest voluntary enrollment is higher than it is.

Once the dust settles from the current snafu, expect to see increasingly aggressive and desperate measures to boost enrollment. Already, there are moves afoot to extend the enrollment deadline.