i am disabled, and therefore subject to the Medicare Part D rules as well. i've a spinal cord injury/condition/disease that requires 59-64 doses of meds a day. The monthly cost at the current 75% of the price of generic is ... $1800. That's the best i can do, so as not to get hit all at one month with refills for each one. That still is in excess of the SSD, which is my sole source of income. SSI - so i'm told - is not available because i live with my Mom: they consider household income, even though she does not pay for my meds. She's gracious and generous enough to provide a roof over my head. She was my caregiver: the role have reverse, but pain and spinal surgeries every six months make it quite a challenge. My doctors increased the pain meds and anti-convulsants. Everyone seems to forget that the out of pocket expenses also include mandatory insurance premium for the Med Pt D coverage - and there are many meds which are NOT on the formulary. Those meds do not "count" toward the donut hole nor toward getting out of the donuts hole and into catastrophic. i hit the first wallop in March. But the premiums are Medicare Pt A and B which are auto-deducted by SS, and i have to pay the "Medigap Policy" and Med Pt D Premiums separately, out of pocket. Last year, total expenses were $27,000. When Med Pt D came in, pharmaceutical reps left the scene, and i no longer get a sample or two of meds to try. Surgical procedures require the services of a company that has an individual that can sit at the hospital the entire time [charged by the hour, and by the mile -- state law prohibits anyone from dropping me off, and picking me up later. There's got to some relief .... this program is financially killing me, and Mom's eye drops alone are over $600 a month. i'll try the recommendation above, and pray there's relief. As mom needs more medical devices [needs a complete shoulder replacement], the money is quickly dissipating. We certainly didn't need the flood in the basement this winter [raw sewage - but the ins co, and the city, denied any financial relief to cover the $12,000 expense. Thanks for the info, and for listening!

Oh Lord - I hope if it ever happens to me that someone is there to stop them from giving me the Alzheimer's drugs...

Thanks, Dennis, for a dose of reality. Good treatment for most liberal BS.

My wife is in her 5th year of ALZ and is on meds for both ALZ and depression and I get them from the Pharmacy in town and they do not cost much and I pay for them ou of pocket. If she was on her own I could see where this would hurt her.

Overall the whole donut hole publicity push – this lefty article is just an example -- is a Democratic Party excuse to further its decade long campaign to repeal the very popular and cost effective Part D.