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For the last three years I've written a dozen articles about the Medicare Part D drug program and why it would be a nightmare for Medicare recipients who participate. As I looked over the articles I've written, I haven't found one prediction or opinion disproved.

Even more depressing are the new problems that emerge weekly with this program, which was passed by the Bush administration and the GOP using fear tactics, such as: If you don't stand behind it now, you'll never get a drug plan.

The strong-arm tactics of the GOP worked beautifully. The AARP was bamboozled into supporting the bill, ignoring all the evidence that the benefits were far from being comprehensive or complete. It was clear this program would be filled with loopholes, double-talk and hidden costs providing pharmaceutical companies a monetary windfall.

The drug companies applauded with greed when the Part D program was passed. The program forbids negotiating prices, giving the drug companies free rein to raise prices. The low-income elderly and disabled people automatically enrolled in Medicaid are the icing on the cake: Medicaid pays 25 to 30 percent less for their drugs.

Name-brand medications are being denied in favor of generics, which can be less effective and have hidden side effects. Generic doesn't always mean identical - it just means the makers claim the generic form is just as good. They neglect to say that the processes of making the name brand versus the generic can, and usually is, quite different. The difference between name brand "Crisco" versus generic shortening exemplifies my problem with generic drugs: The same ingredients are used, but the quality and the processing of the ingredients makes a difference in the product's performance.

Not only is the quality of medications in question but also the higher co-pays Medicare recipients have to shell out. The higher co-pays will quickly force many to reach the doughnut hole - the dollar amount at which Part D requires them to pay for the drugs in full, until they reach next coverage level, which pays 95 percent of the cost. If this price-gouging is allowed to go unchecked, many clients will not be able to afford medication until the next fiscal year.

I'm appalled at the devastating impact this entitlement program has had on the current beneficiaries, their families and the doctors and pharmacies who have to explain this so called "entitlement" to participants.

I hate to see people who have worked, suffered lifelong injuries and still kept their faith in government treated as cash cows for soulless corporations.

The future generations will be paying for this joke of a benefit for years to come.

McKee, a wheelchair user, is a freelance writer and producer. You can e-mail her at chairgrrl@chairgrrl.com.