Medicare Drug Plan Choices for 2008 Available Online
Thursday
Medicare says it has enhanced tools to help make
better drug plan choices
Oct. 10, 2007 - The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid
Services (CMS) today announced that tomorrow senior citizens and other
beneficiaries, as well as their caregivers, and family members, can
begin to review 2008 Medicare prescription drug plan and health plan
information online through the Medicare Prescription Drug Plan Finder.
Its important that we provide current, easily
accessible information on Medicare prescription drug plans so
beneficiaries can make informed decisions, said CMS Acting
Administrator Kerry Weems.
The Plan Finder site averages more than 900,000
page views per week, and more than 4.75 million people with Medicare
have enrolled in a drug plan since the program began.
The Finder is at
www.medicare.gov.
The enhanced plan finder options offer more
information and greater clarity on available drug plans, including
out-of-pocket costs, pharmacy networks, and important Medicare news and
updates.
Navigation improvements also make the plan finder tools more
user-friendly, so beneficiaries will find it easier to locate
information about available drug plans before open enrollment begins on
November 15, 2007.
We want to encourage everyone to use our enhanced
tools now and throughout the upcoming open enrollment period to review
their current drug plan coverage and compare their options for 2008,
Weems said. More than 90 percent of beneficiaries in a stand-alone Part
D prescription drug plan will have access to at least one plan in 2008
with premiums lower than they are paying this year.
Now is the time for beneficiaries to prepare and
compare to find the best plan that meets their needs. Beneficiaries
should gather the prescription drugs they are currently taking for
reference when using the online tools. Additional useful information
may include mailings they have received from Medicare, Social Security,
or their current prescription drug plan.
The 2008 Plan Finder allows beneficiaries to
compare prescription drug plans, view premiums, formularies, and
availability of coverage in the gap. Additionally, the 2008 Medicare
Options Compare tool allows beneficiaries to compare Medicare Health
Plans (which function like HMOs and PPOs). Enhancements to these tools
include:
● Improving the Medicare Prescription Drug Plan
Finder and Medicare Options Compare, making them more user-friendly
(these enhancements were based on responses from consumer testing);
● Adding an additional link under Medicare
Options Compare, allowing beneficiaries to view provider network
information;
● Allowing plans to continue accepting 2007
enrollments through November 30th.
● Viewing estimated out-of-pocket costs for 2008
plans without needing to enter specific drug information.
● Adding a new category of benefits under
Medicare Options Compare for people with End-Stage Renal Disease.
People without Web access can get the same
information provided by the online, personalized plan comparison tools
by calling 1-800 MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227), by visiting their local
State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) office for free
personalized counseling, or by attending one of the thousands of local
enrollment events taking place across the country now through December
2007.
CMS has already began visiting communities
nationwide as part of the Working Together for Better Health Medicare
Bus Tour. Medicare representatives are working together with community
partners, city and state leaders, and advocates on the ground to educate
people with Medicare on the tools and resources available during Open
Enrollment and help them choose the Medicare plan that fits their
lives. More information is available at: http://www.cms.hhs.gov/center/openenrollment.asp.
Beneficiaries should also watch for the 2008
Medicare & You handbook arriving in mailboxes later this month.
The handbook includes tips on selecting a plan and
an overview of plan options. Beneficiaries already enrolled in a Part D
plan will also receive an Annual Notice of Change that describes any
changes in the benefits of their current drug plan.
The actual average premium paid by beneficiaries
for Part D coverage in 2008 is expected to be nearly 40 percent lower
than originally projected in 2003.
This year beneficiaries in every state will have
access to at least one prescription drug plan with premiums of less than
$20 a month, and a choice of at least five plans with premiums of less
than $25 a month. The national average monthly premium is expected to
average $25, so we want beneficiaries to prepare and compare using the
tools available, said Weems.
CMS has also developed a comprehensive Web site for
beneficiaries who are eligible for Medicares extra help. This site
will help Medicare partners identify and counsel low-income subsidy (LIS)
beneficiaries throughout the upcoming open enrollment period, including
LIS beneficiaries who may be losing their deemed status, beneficiaries
who may be reassigned, and beneficiaries facing other status changes.
The site also includes an annual LIS Outreach
Toolkit providing LIS data in both interactive maps and sortable
spreadsheets.
For more information and to view the plan finder
tool please visit:
http://www.medicare.gov/MPDPF.
The LIS Outreach Toolkit can be accessed at:
www.cms.hhs.gov/limitedincomesandresources/.
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