More chaos from the Medicaire Drug Benefit

Yesterday, the LATimes had a story on their state stepping in to cover the gaps in George Bush's flagship legislation. Today, the USA today is reporting that at least 13 other states are doing the same. This isn't just some free market experiment; People may die because of this.

Medicare's new prescription-drug program is causing thousands of low-income seniors and disabled Americans to lose their drug benefits, prompting at least 14 states to pay for their prescriptions.

The problem affects thousands of the 6.2 million people whose drug coverage was automatically transferred from Medicaid to Medicare this month. At drugstores nationwide, pharmacists are telling beneficiaries that they're not enrolled, or their drugs aren't covered, or they must pay deductibles and larger co-payments than they can afford, interviews with federal, state and local officials show.....