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HHS Medicare Drug Plan Enrollment Figures Misleading
Families USA says administration's announced
enrollment hides true fact that only one million enrolled
Dec. 26, 2005 - The Centers for Medicare and
Medicaid Services (CMS) last week released its most up-to-date report on
seniors enrolled in Medicare’s new Part D prescription drug benefit. The
report states that over 21 million Medicare beneficiaries will have
coverage on January 1, 2006. The following is a statement of Ron
Pollack, Executive Director of Families USA, challenging the claims:
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Medicare Drug Program to Have 21 Million Enrolled by
January
Just over a million are voluntary enrollees from
traditional Medicare
Dec. 22, 2005 - More than 21 million senior
citizens and people with disabilities will be covered on Jan. 1, 2006
for Medicare prescription drug coverage, Health & Human Services
Secretary Mike Leavitt said today. The number includes more than one
million Americans who signed up for the new stand-alone coverage in the
first 28 days it was offered. The vast majority – about 20 million –
were automatic enrollees. Another 500,000 voluntary enrollments are
expected by the end of January.
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“The Administration’s report about the number of
seniors enrolled in prescription drug coverage is extraordinarily
misleading. It is designed to mask the fact that only 1 million seniors
have actually enrolled so far in the new Medicare prescription drug
program.
“Of the approximate 21 million beneficiaries that
the Administration states will have drug coverage as of January 1, 2006,
the overwhelming majority already had drug coverage prior to the
implementation of the new program. Those 21 million break down as
follows:
● Dual eligibles: 6.2 million Medicaid and
Medicare dual eligibles who currently have prescription drug coverage
under Medicaid and will be automatically enrolled in Medicare Part D on
January 1. This will not result in any new drug coverage.
● Medicare Advantage beneficiaries: 4.4 million
Medicare Advantage enrollees who’s Medicare managed care plan offers
prescription drug coverage starting January 1. These plans already
provided prescription drug coverage prior to the new program.
● Retirees: 7.4 million retirees already receive
coverage from their previous employers.
● Federal retirees, veterans, and their families:
3.1 million retired federal employees and military families will also
continue to receive existing drug coverage.
● New beneficiaries: Only about 1 million new
enrollees have signed up for the new benefit. CMS’s own projections from
January 2005 show that they expected about 16 million new beneficiaries
in this category. Two weeks before the benefit starts, they are barely 6
percent of the way there.
“The real progress toward expanding drug coverage,
as opposed to the Administration’s misleading hype, is very
disappointing. We hope program enrollment improves significantly, but it
seems likely that the confusing and bewildering structure of the new
Medicare drug program will continue to hinder that progress.”
About Source:
Families USA is the national organization for
health care consumers. It is nonprofit and nonpartisan and advocates for
high-quality, affordable health care for all Americans. E-mail:
info@familiesusa.org, Webside:
www.familiesusa.org
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