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Medicare Preparing Online Tools to Help Decide on
Drug Plan Insurance
Currently being used to help educate those who will
assist senior citizens
Oct. 18, 2005 - Medicare is developing interactive
tools online that will provide detailed information on prescription drug
plan options for senior citizens and allow online enrollment when it
begins on November 15. They said today the Prescription Drug Plan Finder
will be ready for full use “well before enrollment begins.”
Medicare partners will have additional resources
available to help them inform and educate people about the new
prescription drug coverage, including a new Prescription Drug Plan
Finder, well before enrollment begins on November 15. Soon,
beneficiaries and their family members will be able to use these tools
to make better decisions about their Medicare drug coverage.
“We are working with our 140 community-based
networks and nearly 10,000 partners, and we are providing many different
ways for people with Medicare to get help, as they take steps toward
getting prescription drug coverage in the weeks ahead,” said Mark B.
McClellan, M.D., Ph.D., Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)
administrator.
He emphasized, “People do not need to make a
decision now – they can’t sign up for a plan for another month and they
can get coverage on January 1 as long as they enroll by December 31,
2005. As we get closer to the time to enroll, the new tools will help
people make those decisions.”
The Prescription Drug Plan Finder, available by
clicking here, is also one of the new resources CMS is now using to
help train local partners, such as the State Health Insurance Assistance
Programs, senior centers, faith-based organizations and others who will
be assisting beneficiaries in learning more about and enrolling in drug
plans later this year.
Senior citizens can check on this site and the
other Medicare tools but all are not fully functional at this time.
The drug plan finder will ask questions based on
the coverage beneficiaries have now to provide them with tailored plan
comparison information based on what is most important to them,
including cost, coverage and convenience.
Beneficiaries can also get personalized information
on particular plans that they think may be a good fit for them. Medicare
beneficiaries who don’t use the Internet will be able to get the same
information by calling 1-800-MEDICARE (800-633-4227).
The Plan Finder will ultimately let people check to
see if they qualify for extra help paying for a Medicare drug plan, if
their employer or union is continuing their current drug coverage or if
they are already enrolled in a Medicare Advantage or other Medicare
Health Plan or in a Medicare drug plan. As of today, not all of the data
is in the plan finder, since the deadline for many employers to submit
their applications is Oct. 31 and some applications for those
beneficiaries applying for extra help have not been finalized. Drug
plans may also update their price and other benefit information as the
enrollment period draws closer.
Other resources that partners are receiving
training on include:
-
Specific brochures and publications to help
people with Medicare learn more about prescription drug plans, how
to compare plans, and how to apply for the extra help, such as the
“Getting Started” brochure;
www.medicare.gov/Publications/Pubs/pdf/11146.pdf
-
The Medicare Prescription Drug Plan Cost
Estimator which provides beneficiaries with an example of potential
savings they can anticipate with Medicare Prescription Drug
coverage;
www.medicare.gov/medicarereform/MPDP_Cost_Estimator.asp
-
The soon-to-be released BenefitsCheckUpRx for
people with Medicare, an online service that will help people assess
current prescription drug coverage, find out what part of the new
Medicare coverage someone is likely eligible for, tell them what
their rights and options are based on their situation, and then help
people take the next step, including enrollment in a Medicare
Prescription Drug Plan – if that is the right decision for them
individually.
-
A Landscape of Local Plans that shows the
Medicare plans that offer drug coverage in a beneficiary’s area
including basic information to help them consider the cost,
coverage, and convenience of the plan;
www.medicare.gov/medicarereform/map.asp
-
The Formulary Finder which allows a user to
enter a typical combination of drugs used by people with a certain
condition to find out which plans in an area have formularies that
cover these drugs;
http://plancompare.medicare.gov/formularyfinder/selectstate.asp and,
-
The Medicare & You 2006 Handbook, currently
being mailed to more than 38 million Medicare households, which
provides a summary Medicare benefits, rights and protections and
answers to the most frequently asked questions about Medicare,
including information about the new prescription drug coverage.
“It’s important for us to make these resources
available now to all of our local partners and train them on how they
can use the resources to help beneficiaries enroll in a drug plan
beginning next month,” said Dr. McClellan. “Beneficiaries need to be as
confident in the information they have available to them as they are in
their decisions once they begin to enroll.
“Everyone will be able to make an informed choice
about a plan that is a good fit for them, based on what they personally
think is important,” said Dr. McClellan.
“These state of the art, web-based decision-support
and enrollment tools are essential to empowering 42 million consumers to
make wise choices about Medicare Part D,” said James Firman, president
of the National Council on Aging and the chair of the Access to Benefits
Coalition. “Many consumers will be able to use these tools themselves
and others will get the help they need through the thousands of
community organizations that are partnering with CMS.”
Medicare beneficiaries across the U.S. will be able
to choose among prescription drug plans where the deductible is below
the standard $250. Beneficiaries in all states except Alaska will be
able to find plans with premiums below $20 a month and in many states,
will find options with plans offering premiums significantly lower.
Enrollment for Medicare’s prescription drug
coverage runs from November 15 through May 15, 2006. Coverage begins on
January 1 if a beneficiary enrolls before then. After that, coverage
begins on the first of the month after a beneficiary enrolls.
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