The Philadelphia Inquirer Consumer Watch column.

Byline: Jeff Gelles

Nov. 14--On Veterans Day last week, I had breakfast with my 80-year-old father, a Marine veteran of World War II. Eventually our talk turned to D-Day -- not the real one, but tomorrow's start of enrollment for the new prescription-drug plan called Medicare Part D.

Dad's a sharp guy, if not quite his younger self. Like many senior citizens, he finds it a little harder to concentrate, a little easier to get confused. Soon, I had to give up trying to explain, write down all his insurance information, and promise to check more carefully into his options.

That conversation has been playing out millions of times in recent weeks. If …