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Medicare Drug Program Now Covering Over 27 Million
as Enrollment Jumps
Good progress made in last few weeks with 2 million
more covered
By Tucker Sutherland, editor
|
Dates of
Information Release |
Stand-Alone
Prescription Drug Plan |
Medicare Advantage
with Prescription Drugs* |
Combined MA and
Stand-Alone |
|
3/18/2006 |
6,360,414 |
5,671,199 |
12,031,613 |
|
2/11/2006 |
4,882,975 |
5,337,343 |
10,220,318 |
|
Change |
1,477,439 |
333,856 |
1,811,295 |
|
% Ch. |
30.3% |
6.3% |
17.7% |
March 24, 2006 Comparing the numbers released
yesterday by Medicare on enrollment in the drug plan with those released
last month do not exactly match with the news release accompanying the
numbers, but anyway you look at the numbers the indicate good progress
over the last few weeks. Although, some estimates say as many as 16
million seniors and others eligible are still not covered by a drug
plan.
Medicare says that 1.9 million additional
beneficiaries have signed up for prescription drug coverage since
mid-February. This, they say, represents a 25 percent increase over last
month in the number of people who have selected a plan and brings the
total of those who have signed up individually over the past four months
to approximately 7.2 million.
Using the numbers they released for March 18 and
February 11, we come up with different numbers. It looks the number who
have signed up for "stand-alone drug plans" has grown by about 1.5
million or 30.3 percent an impressive gain. Those joining a drug plan
through a Medicare Advantage program have increased by 333,856 just
6.3 percent.
Combined, however, those voluntarily enrolling in a
drug plan stand-alone or MA has increased by 1.8 million or 17.7
percent. (See chart at top of story.)
Our math also shows the total number of senior
citizens and others eligible for Medicare that are now covered has grown
by almost 2.2 million in just over a month. This is a gain of 8.6
percent.
"We are very pleased that more and more people with
Medicare are taking advantage of this important benefit. Strong and
steady enrollment has continued this month, with 380,000 Medicare
beneficiaries signing up each week," HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt said.
"Over 27 million beneficiaries are now getting
coverage and saving money on their prescription drugs. We are well on
the way to achieving our goal of 28 to 30 million enrollees in the first
year."
Nearly 7 million beneficiaries are currently
enrolled in Medicare Advantage (MA) plans, which include both MA-only
and MA-Prescription Drug, Medicare says.
In the past five weeks, more than 330,000 people
have signed up for MA plans, and enrollment in Medicare Advantage has
increased by about 1 million since enrollment in the drug benefit began.
Approximately 5.7 million beneficiaries in MA receive coverage through
MA-PD plans.
"The accelerating enrollment is in large measure
due to the extraordinary efforts of our national and local partners
across the country, who are helping people with Medicare get their
questions answered, enroll, and start saving," said Centers for Medicare
& Medicaid Services Administrator Mark B. McClellan, M.D., Ph.D.
"We have increased our support for this intense
outreach effort. We have added resources to keep the wait times down and
beneficiary support up at 1-800-MEDICARE and
medicare.gov. We urge all people with Medicare who do not yet have
good drug coverage to get the help they need to make a confident
decision about their prescription drug coverage prior to the May 15
enrollment deadline."
Robert M. Hayes, president of the Medicare Rights
Center in New York, is still not happy with the enrollment progress.
Hayes said, 16 million Americans with Medicare
still have no drug coverage -- if the Administrations numbers released
today are accurate. Less than seven million Americans who were uninsured
before the drug program was launched are newly insured."
"On the other hand, six million of the poorest and
frailest Americans who lost Medicaid coverage on January 1 now have
inferior, less reliable drug coverage," he added.
We are spending far too much for far too little
help help that is desperately needed by the American people.
Enrollment in private drug plans is increasing,
but so too is the anger and dissatisfaction of people in plans.
Increasingly, older Americans who call our hotlines for help are
reporting how inadequate and unreliable the benefit is. Coverage gaps,
excessive out-of-pocket costs and routine denials of coverage for needed
drugs are commonplace."
His conclusion, Tragically, even enrollment in a
private drug plan frequently leaves older Americans going without the
medicines they need.
In order to ensure that people with Medicare get
their prescriptions filled quickly for the first time after the have
enrolled, CMS encourages Medicare beneficiaries to sign up for drug
coverage early in the month before they want coverage, or at least 2 to
3 weeks before they plan to use their coverage.
|
Total Drug Plan
Enrolloment 3/18/06 vs 2/11/06 |
|
Total |
Stand-Alone
Prescription Drug Plan |
Medicare Advantage
with Prescription Drugs* |
Medicare-Medicaid
(Automatically Enrolled) |
Medicare Retiree
Drug Subsidy |
Estimated Federal
Retirees (Tricare, FEHBP) |
Total with Drug
Coverage |
|
3/18/2006 |
6,360,414 |
5,671,199 |
5,772,171 |
6,221,371 |
3,545,473 |
27,570,628 |
|
2/11/2006 |
4,882,975 |
5,337,343 |
5,657,902 |
6,419,271 |
3,099,900 |
25,397,391 |
|
Change |
1,477,439 |
333,856 |
114,269 |
-197,900 |
445,573 |
2,173,237 |
|
% Ch. |
30.3% |
6.3% |
2.0% |
-3.1% |
14.4% |
8.6% |
Overall prescription drug coverage figures as of
March 18 are:
★
Stand-Alone Prescription Drug Plans: More than 6 million people with
Medicare have enrolled in stand-alone prescription drug plans.
★
Medicare Advantage with Prescription Drugs: About 5.7 million received
coverage through Medicare Advantage plans with drug coverage (MA-PDs).
More than 800,000 of these beneficiaries signed up on their own in the
last four months.
★
Medicare/Medicaid: About 5.8 million were automatically enrolled in
prescription drug plans, plus about 600,000 enrolled in Medicare
Advantage plans with prescription drug coverage.
★
Retiree Coverage: More than 6.2 million retirees are enrolled in the
Medicare retiree subsidy. In addition, about 1.4 million retirees are in
employer and union-sponsored coverage that incorporates or supplements
Medicare group drug coverage.
★
Federal retiree coverage: 3.5 million
● TRICARE: There are 1.9 million beneficiaries with TRICARE
retiree coverage.
● FEHB: There are 1.6 million beneficiaries with FEHB retiree
coverage. This figure now accounts for spouses with Medicare who are
covered under a FEHB family policy by retirees who also have Medicare
coverage.
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