This month 25,000 Humboldt County residents and 5,500 Del Norte County seniors are wrestling with their Medicare drug plan options. More than 200 of them attended a town hall meeting convened by State Assemblywoman Patty Berg Dec. 6 at the Humboldt Senior Resource Center in Eureka. Berg introduced Anne Antoville, director of HICAP, the Health Insurance Counseling and Advocacy Program, the only state program designated to help people with this problem. HICAP can be reached for appointments at 443-9747 in Humboldt and 464-7876 in Del Norte.

People who attended were confused, worried or irritated. Many people thought they were required to sign up for a plan and that there were income requirements. That only applies to Medi-Cal recipients, Antoville said.

Others were frustrated with trying to choose between the 48 plans offered by 20 insurance companies available in California. Premiums range between $5 and $66. Annual deductibles, the formularies (lists of drugs covered), and pharmacies also vary between companies.

Another layer of confusion comes with the seven categories of drugs - based on price - in the formularies, and that the drug lists can be changed by the insurance companies with 60 days notice. It will be possible to change insurance companies once a year during open enrollment in November and December.

Marianne Pennekamp of Eureka, not pictured, said, "To me it's infuriating. I think they are trying to tear apart Medicare."

Sandra Christensen of Fortuna (pictured above) said her biggest confusion was trying to figure out which plan to use. She lost her health insurance and can't afford the $143 a month her medications cost. She is on Social Security and will be eligible for Medicare in February.

Phil Haysmer of Eureka said, "I don't understand the financial parts, or if I qualify or don't qualify." (Only those on Medi-Cal have income requirements and will automatically be put into a drug plan.) Haysmer said he was also looking at private plans. He is on Medicare. "I'm trying to find out enough information by the May deadline so I don't get charged a penalty. I want to have this clear, to know what drugs are covered." He spends about $200 per month on medications.

Sharon Fracker of Eureka said she couldn't figure out the costs. "I've studied this thing (the book sent out by Medicare). I'm not stupid," she said. She takes no medications now, and worries that if she doesn't sign up for a plan before May 15 she'll be penalized. "I have to figure it out logically, and I can't because I have no information." She wondered how to choose a plan based on medications she doesn't take and has no way of knowing which, if any, medications she will take in the future.

Virgil Thompson of Loleta said the plan was "throwing away money that benefits no one except the insurance companies. I can't see who else would benefit from this." He was also angry about the gap (between $2,550 and $5,100 annually) which is not covered by the plans. He said, "It seems ludicrous to me. I paid Social Security since I was 11 years old, spent three years in the Marines, and saved money to retire - everything I should do. It's exasperating. To me it's just a rip-off." He also said he thinks the drug companies should be regulated. He will probably not sign up.