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Swamped With Calls
for Help, Medicare Adds 400 More Service Reps
Price Compare
Website Information Also Enhanced
May 13, 2004 - Millions of senior citizens dialed
1-800-MEDICARE or visited the Medicare Website last week and the Centers
for Medicare & Medicaid Services yesterday announced additional steps to
improve service for Medicare beneficiaries deciding whether a discount
card is right for them. This includes adding 400 more customer service
representatives to answer calls on the telephone hotline and enhancing
the “Price Compare” database at
www.medicare.gov.
Last week CMS
received more than 10 times the regular call volume, with 1.6 million
calls to 1-800-MEDICARE and more than 7 million internet visits. CMS
is now increasing the number of customer service representatives at the
Medicare call centers, bringing the total to more than 1,800. CMS had
previously tripled the number of operators from nearly 400 in August to
1,400 last week. CMS is getting the additional help from trained
customer service operators from some Medicare contractors; the private
companies that process and pay Medicare Part B claims.
Enhancements are
also being implemented in Medicare’s Price Compare services based on
feedback from beneficiaries, customer service operators, and advocates.
For example,
www.medicare.gov now has a new, easily visible link making the Price
Compare database easier to find, and the “drug dictionary” of drugs
included on Price Compare is being expanded.
“All seniors and
people with disabilities have to do to learn more about the
Medicare-approved drug cards is call 1-800-MEDICARE and we’ll do the
work for them,” Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy G. Thompson
said. “These cards can provide real savings for many seniors,
especially those with low incomes who qualify for a $600 credit. There
are simple steps beneficiaries can take to make it easy to decide how
they can get the most out of a drug discount card.”
“If beneficiaries
find they are struggling with drug costs now because they don’t have
good drug coverage that makes their drugs more affordable, they should
consider enrolling in a drug discount card,” said CMS Administrator Mark
B. McClellan, M.D., Ph.D. “We’re working to make it easier for seniors
to learn more and sign up for a card if it’s right for them. The
discounts start on June 1, but there is no deadline and Medicare
beneficiaries can enroll any time.”
Website users and
callers to 1-800-MEDICARE can now get an easy-to-use list of information
to have available to help them find the best cards for their needs as
quickly as possible. The list includes pill bottles or a list of drugs
and dosages, favorite pharmacies, whether the beneficiary has a
preference for low- or no-fee cards, and income information, if the
beneficiary is interested in the $600 credit and other low-income
assistance programs.
When calling
Medicare, beneficiaries should be prepared to answer a few important
questions about their prescription drug needs. CMS call centers use this
information to sort through all of the medicines, drug discount cards,
and pharmacies to give beneficiaries the specific, individual facts they
need to decide about the drug card program. This includes:
> Their zip code.
> Their medicines and doses. It’s
best to have pill bottles in front of them.
> Preference for a pharmacy, if they
have one (otherwise they will get information on the closest pharmacies
as well as mail-order options)
> Whether they are especially
interested in low-cost or no-cost cards (the maximum card fee is $30 per
year, but many cards have lower or zero fees)
> Any specific Medicare-approved
cards that they have heard about and want to find out more about
> Their total monthly income, if
they have limited means and are interested in the $600 credit for drug
costs and other programs to help them get much larger savings.
The best times to
call 1-800-MEDICARE is later in the week – Thursday through Sunday and
between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. Eastern time.
All Medicare
beneficiaries are eligible to enroll in a Medicare-Approved Discount
Drug Card, unless they receive prescription drugs through Medicaid.
Other Medicare beneficiaries may find that the discount cards may not be
as beneficial as their existing employer benefits, Medigap coverage or
health plan benefits.
Approximately 7
million beneficiaries with incomes below $12,569 per year for
individuals and less than $16,862 per month for couples who do not have
good drug coverage now can quality for the $600 drug credit this year
and again next year, as well as substantial additional manufacturer
discounts.
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