Robert Hayes Quotes (24 Quotes)

We expect major chaos at most pharmacies. The plans were randomly assigned to people. No consideration was given in the assignment to whether the plan covers the drugs the person takes.

This should not be a political war of spin. It is about basic human need - health and survival.

The secretary is confronting reality finally, and that is a good thing. We all know consumers were confused, but we had no sense the leadership in the federal government was so confused.

The likelihood of someone picking the least expensive plan is remote. Many people are taking a shot in the dark.

In an ideal world, which is long past in this economy, physicians could sit down and become experts and counsel their patients. That doesn't happen today because there's so much time pressure on every doctor.

The Bush Administration's inflation of enrollment numbers disguises the problems that plague this privately-administered benefit. Deception will do nothing to help older and disabled get the medications they so desperately need.

We're asking pharmacists to not only dispense medication, but to be a social worker, computer geek and probably a magician.

All of these things have the patient deal again and again with the trauma in a safe way, so the original trauma doesn't have the power to tap into those fears,

We see it as a searing indictment of this convoluted drug program. People are faced with a bewildering array of for-profit insurance plans. These plans are seen as so complex and unreliable that many people in great need of help are staying on the sidelines.

His jobs were to make money, but his career was the band. It was quite a balancing act.

In my humble opinion, it's the single most convoluted benefit program in American history.

How many applied is kind of irrelevant compared to how many will get assistance. If they reported 3 million people enrolled in the extra help today, we would be opening the champagne bottles.

Inevitably there will be breakdowns in the multiple computer systems. Even if the Bush administration were to get it right 99 percent of the time, that would leave the equivalent of Yankee Stadium filled to capacity 64,000 people left out in the cold.

There's so much complexity that in a sense the people confused by the benefit are the ones who are the most knowledgeable on Medicare. And for sure, there will be many people who will be confronted with the complexity and, sadly, they will throw their hands up and give up.

That sounds better than it is in operation. Medicaid patients frequently have difficulty finding a doctor, so to expect a doctor to put the time and energy into becoming an amateur lawyer is asking a lot.

If you're managing a chronic illness, it's a real concern if you join a network, only to see your doctors leave later in the year.

If the government transitions 99 percent of these men and women flawlessly, there will still be 64,000 people without their medicine come January. That cannot be allowed.

The evidence is becoming overwhelming that the program does not work.

The new Medicare drug benefit is 10 times more complicated than the Medicare drug discount card, ... and 10 times more important.

The (poll) numbers suggest an abysmal program. This benefit was designed to make it impossible for consumers to understand it.

should run, don't walk, to sign up.

The majority of people are shunning the program.

The only way to make sense of it is to use sophisticated Web tools and make sure to follow up with the plan that seems to work for you.

For people who can afford it, the insurance value of these drug plans is an important one.