It’s been over two months since my wife and I tried to switch from our local pharmacy to go back on line to obtain necessary replacements for her Dex Com “arm sensor,” a necessary tab that clings onto her arm for 10 days when it needs to be replaced.

The Dex Com device eliminates finger pricking to measure blood glucose which denotes if insulin is needed and if so how much. It’s a wonderful device.

Upon making the switch to the local pharmacy, we learned we would receive only a month’s supply whereas on line we had obtained a three months supply. We switched back on line, that is we tried to switch back on line.

The desired switch required many phone calls which were frustrating and nonproductive.The second-language facilitators did their best but to no avail. “More information required from doctor” was their final response.

They were following the script, no indication of what kind of information was needed. Nor did it matter that days, weeks before we had been a loyal, satisfied customer.

OK, we opted to remain with a local pharmacy, whereby we ran into the same non-productive wall. More vague information needed is what the local pharmacy was told by the Medicare Part B people. Meanwhile, our doctor’s people were cooperative and in a timely manner sent their usual prescription information to both the online company and to the local pharmacy/Medicare. The highly educated local medical professionals were no more effective in resolving the issue than the English second language Filipinos.

Time rolled on. More calls. More visits. More requests. Growing frustration on several fronts.

Finally, thanks to the efforts of a local pharmacist/medical facilitator, we learned the Medicare Part B prescription requirements were recently changed. The vague “more information needed” meant why the doctor wrote the prescription. This is new. Prescriptions usually do not spell out why the doctor prescribed them.

The vagueness of the “more information needed” caused delay in receiving the arm sensors, which has not been received as of today. I surmise many other diabetics would have given up and resorted back to finger pricking, something my wife is unable to perform alone.

Being retired, I have time to pursue and we live close to downtown. I think of individuals who lack ready transportation, who live far away, who do not have the time to pursue, and who do not have someone advocating for them.

Trump selected RFK Jr. as Secretary of Health and Human Services. Kennedy promised “to upend our health care.” Trump promised Kennedy “would go wild but don’t worry, I’ll keep him under control.”

Since January, 60% of Project 2025 has been embedded in our government. One part of Project 2025 is to reduce Health and Human Services expenses and size. Whole Health and Human Services divisions have been eliminated. Thousands of Health and Human Services employees have been fired. Priorities have shifted from providing services to cost cutting. Centers for Disease Control leadership replacement and contradicting vaccines positions are not positive changes for improved national health, just upending.

Medicare has 10 working days in which to react to our latest request. I will have to travel to the local pharmacy to learn our request’s fate. This slow walk and vagueness makes it difficult to not be cynical of the Trump-Kennedy policies of short term expenses cutting improving national health.

I sense this is the tip of the iceberg as HHS departments get packed with Trump loyalists replacing competent Civil Service experts.Similar Project 2025 inspired changes are occurring throughout the Executive branch. Factual data gathering/reporting gets skewed, political foes are harassed, “blue area” projects get slow walked or eliminated, etc.

Also, where is the money of our new health care cut backs going?

Ahh, to be rich. I mean really rich, Mar-a-Lago rich.Can’t have too much, you know. Trump people love those tax breaks for the wealthy, almost as much as Trump loves middle and lower income consumers paying for his tariffs.

It is estimated that only 5% of voters — the same percentage who know how to sail — read Project 2025. They voted for jobs, lower costs of living, and ending wars. They did not vote for reduced/eliminated services or higher medical insurance payments.

Meanwhile, we wait for arm sensors.

Don Scott is a North Warren resident.