Once again, residents in this region are getting a chance to sound off about the Public Employees Insurance Agency's new, controversial Advantra Freedom Private Fee for Service Plan.
In advance of Monday's gathering at Tamarack, former Delegate Sally Susman, D-Raleigh, says the new plan is senseless and imposes penalties on retired teachers, school personnel and low-paid government employees.
“The state has forsaken those who have worked all their adult lives for West Virginia and deserve, in fact were promised, a comfortable retirement in lieu of a salary increase,” Susman said Friday.
“The changes penalize the sickest and the frailest of our citizens.”
Beckley area residents gathered a few weeks ago for the first such public airing of the disputed plan in a meeting arranged by Delegate Linda Sumner, R-Raleigh.
In some cases, the new plan has threatened the lives of some, such as the cholesterol-lowering drug Lipitor.
“It is not PEIA's drug of choice,” Susman said.
“In fact, Lipitor has only received a No. 3 rating, which drastically raises the cost of the drug from $45 for a three-month supply to $50 a month for a one-month supply.”
Some members could be eligible for a three-month supply for $100, but PEIA and Advantra aren't making this known and many pharmacies cannot afford to handle the drug at that cost, Susman said.
A study due to be published soon by the British Journal of Cardiology shows that Heartland Institute found patients switching from Lipitor to a generic were 30 percent more likely to suffer a heart attack.
Susman said the new plan should have been put on hold by Gov. Joe Manchin until all the potential consequences were examined.
|
