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Medicare Says 30 Million Senior Citizens Now Have
Drug Coverage
Over 93 million prescriptions
filled in March; stand-alones jump 1.7 million
|
Total Medicare
Drug Coverage
As of 4-18-06 |
|
Description |
April
(millions) |
|
Drug Coverage
from Medicare or Former Employer |
|
|
Stand-Alone
Prescription Drug Plan (PDP) |
8.1 |
|
Medicare Advantage
with Prescription Drugs (MA-PD) |
5.8 |
|
Medicare- Medicaid
(Automatically Enrolled) |
5.8 |
|
Medicare Retiree
Drug Subsidy (RDS) |
6.8 |
|
FEHB Retiree
Coverage |
1.6 |
|
TRICARE
REtiree Coverage |
1.9 |
|
TOTAL |
30.0 |
|
Additional
Sources of Credible Drug Coverage |
|
|
Veteran's Administration (VA) Coverage |
3.2 |
|
Indian
Health Service Coverage |
0.1 |
|
Active
Workers with Medicare Secondary Payer |
2.0 |
|
Other
Retiree Coverage, Not Enrolled in RDS |
0.5 |
|
TOTAL |
5.8 |
April 20, 2006 With the deadline for enrollment
only days away (May 15), Medicare announced today that more than 30
million Medicare beneficiaries are receiving prescription drug coverage,
including more than 8 million beneficiaries who have gotten new,
individual prescription drug coverage since the program began. More than
93 million prescriptions were filled for beneficiaries during
March -- averaging 3 million prescriptions filled per day.
In addition, 5.8 million people with Medicare get
drug coverage from the Veterans Administration and other sources with
prescription drug coverage equal to Medicare -- bringing the total to
approximately 35.8 million Medicare beneficiaries who are now receiving
prescription drug coverage.
"With a month to go, we've passed our projections
of 28 to 30 million enrollees in the first year, and we are intensifying
our local outreach efforts to get more seniors signed up before the May
15th deadline," HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt said.
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"These strong enrollment numbers are a tribute to
everyone in the national network of caring -- all of our partners,
community leaders, the State Health Insurance Programs (SHIPS), and
family members, who have provided counseling and assistance to the
millions of beneficiaries who are now taking advantage of this new
benefit and saving money."
"Signing up is as easy as three simple steps,"
Leavitt said. "One: Get your prescriptions together. Two: Get your
Medicare card. Three: Call 1-800-MEDICARE or go online at
www.medicare.gov."
One of the most important statements in the
announcement is that now more than 8 million seniors and other
beneficiaries are enrolled in stand-alone prescription drug plans, an
increase of 1.7 million in the last four weeks.
Close to 1 million people have enrolled in Medicare
Advantage health plans, with prescription drug coverage. The Centers for
Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) reports that nearly all of the
beneficiaries who have enrolled have chosen a plan that has no
deductible, low premium or provides some kind of coverage in the
coverage gap.
"The May 15th deadline is fast approaching. We urge
everyone who has not signed up to act now to avoid a last minute rush,"
said CMS Administrator Mark B. McClellan, M.D., Ph.D.
"There are plenty of ways to get help. Call
1-800-MEDICARE or attend one of the many thousands of events we are
conducting with our partners across the country before the May 15th
deadline. Sign up now and start saving on your drugs. And if you don't
need drugs now, by signing up you can get the lowest cost protection for
the future."
CMS and its 10,000 grassroots partners are
conducting more than 1,800 enrollment events across the country each
week up until the May 15th enrollment deadline. Additionally, CMS has
increased resources to keep the wait times down and beneficiary support
up at 1-800-MEDICARE and
www.Medicare.gov.
Overall prescription drug coverage figures as of
April 18 are:
★
Stand-Alone Prescription Drug Plans (PDPs): 8.1 million people with
Medicare have enrolled in stand-alone prescription drug plans. This
total includes 1 million beneficiaries who had their enrollment
facilitated by CMS. This subset of beneficiaries were either
automatically approved for the low income subsidy or applied for the
subsidy through the Social Security Administration or states, but had
not selected a prescription drug plan on their own.
★
Medicare Advantage with Prescription Drugs (MA-PDs): Nearly 5.8 million
beneficiaries receive coverage through Medicare Advantage plans with
drug coverage (MA-PDs). More than 950,000 MA-PD beneficiaries have
signed up on their own since the program began.
★
Medicare/Medicaid: About 5.8 million were automatically enrolled in
prescription drug plans, plus about 500,000 enrolled in Medicare
Advantage plans with prescription drug coverage.
★
Retiree Coverage: More than 6.8 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 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 includes spouses with Medicare
who are covered under a FEHB family policy by retirees who also have
Medicare coverage.
★
Additional Sources of Prescription Drug Coverage for Medicare
Beneficiaries: Approximately 5.8 million Medicare beneficiaries have
alternative sources of creditable prescription drug coverage:
● Veterans Affairs (VA): There are an
estimated 3.2 million beneficiaries with creditable drug coverage
through the VA.
● Indian Health Service (IHS): There are an
estimated 0.1 million beneficiaries with creditable drug coverage
through the IHS.
● Active Workers with Medicare Secondary
Payer: There are an estimated 2.0 million beneficiaries who are active
workers with creditable drug coverage through an employer group health
plan.
● Other Retiree Coverage: An estimated
500,000 retirees are continuing in coverage from a former employer that
is not coordinated with Medicare drug coverage.
Below
see more statistics and enrollment by State
|
Estimated
Prescriptions Filled for Medicare Beneficiaries with Drug
Coverage
Through 3-31-06 |
|
|
Stand-Alone
Prescription Drug Plan |
Medicare
Advantage with Prescription Drugs |
Medicare-Medicaid (automatically Enrolled) |
Medicare
Retiree Drug Subsidy |
Estimated
Federal Retirees (Tricare FEHB) |
Total |
|
January, 2006 |
11,448,945 |
14,841,225 |
29,258,415 |
19,505,610 |
9,752,805 |
84,807,000 |
|
February, 2006 |
15,282,320 |
15,282,320 |
29,665,680 |
19,777,120 |
9,888,560 |
89,896,000 |
|
March, 2006
|
19,708,500 |
15,954,500 |
29,093,500 |
18,770,000 |
10,323,500 |
93,850,000 |
|
Total |
46,439,765 |
46,078,045 |
88,017,595 |
58,052,730 |
29,964,865 |
268,553,000 |
Note:
Estimated normalized monthly prescription drug claims are based on
adjusting extrapolated data on total claims for the 65 and over
population to reflect what would be expected for the population fo
beneficiaries with drug coverage, based on actual monthly enrollment and
adjusted historical utilization rates.
|
State
Enrollment in Medicare Prescription Drug Plans Nov. 15,
2005 - Mar. 18, 2006
As of 4/18/2006 |
|
State |
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 |
|
Alabama
|
188,499
|
80,495
|
89,407
|
117,277
|
96,396
|
572,074
|
|
Alaska
|
6,247
|
109
|
11,567
|
11,662
|
8,762
|
38,347
|
|
Arizona
|
100,778
|
251,249
|
57,998
|
106,466
|
87,699
|
604,190
|
|
Arkansas
|
146,954
|
10,956
|
65,400
|
52,030
|
47,096
|
322,436
|
|
California
|
401,739
|
1,295,540
|
899,858
|
427,310
|
341,510
|
3,365,957
|
|
Colorado
|
79,377
|
136,125
|
43,616
|
76,642
|
70,923
|
406,683
|
|
Connecticut
|
101,890
|
32,432
|
67,833
|
113,139
|
22,077
|
337,371
|
|
Delaware
|
40,522
|
623
|
10,262
|
32,307
|
12,125
|
95,839
|
|
District Of
Columbia |
7,677
|
5,100
|
15,601
|
3,488
|
23,179
|
55,045
|
|
Florida
|
479,839
|
628,438
|
351,277
|
469,735
|
305,160
|
2,234,449
|
|
Georgia
|
317,497
|
43,310
|
145,93
|
129,734
|
122,490
|
758,824
|
|
Hawaii
|
8,927
|
47,696
|
23,955
|
32,713
|
35,155
|
148,446
|
|
Idaho
|
46,375
|
15,371
|
18,793
|
20,669
|
20,403
|
121,611
|
|
Illinois
|
430,525
|
76,749
|
255,050
|
343,986
|
73,188
|
1,179,498
|
|
Indiana
|
242,939
|
15,273
|
99,067
|
198,516
|
45,259
|
601,054
|
|
Iowa
|
171,049
|
18,368
|
56,803
|
44,473
|
26,219
|
316,912
|
|
Kansas
|
116,550
|
17,045
|
40,415
|
33,541
|
37,242
|
244,793
|
|
Kentucky
|
191,650
|
32,003
|
85,745
|
127,443
|
45,629
|
482,470
|
|
Louisiana
|
127,611
|
71,350
|
101,747
|
92,893
|
45,897
|
439,498
|
|
Maine
|
63,392
|
994
|
46,470
|
34,271
|
22,457
|
167,584
|
|
Maryland
|
149,233
|
31,530
|
58,809
|
128,166
|
132,136
|
499,874
|
|
Massachusetts
|
137,870
|
143,358
|
186,290
|
188,343
|
56,640
|
712,501
|
|
Michigan
|
293,399
|
48,873
|
196,041
|
460,868
|
49,143
|
1,048,324
|
|
Minnesota
|
183,525
|
117,997
|
63,215
|
79,099
|
36,234
|
480,070
|
|
Mississippi
|
111,821
|
7,116
|
129,920
|
30,738
|
45,199
|
324,794
|
|
Missouri
|
191,828
|
118,493
|
146,852
|
118,406
|
72,479
|
648,058
|
|
Montana
|
41,052
|
4,287
|
15,274
|
13,690
|
15,506
|
89,809
|
|
Nebraska
|
88,375
|
12,514
|
32,173
|
24,870
|
21,552
|
179,484
|
|
Nevada
|
42,227
|
85,513
|
18,491
|
41,312
|
36,229
|
223,772 |
|
|
New Hampshire
|
40,156
|
1,497
|
19,815
|
34,542
|
18,217
|
114,227
|
|
|
New Jersey
|
289,299
|
68,720
|
140,012
|
278,775
|
65,486
|
843,292
|
|
|
New Mexico
|
48,663
|
48,638
|
33,980
|
39,130
|
36,854
|
207,265
|
|
|
New York
|
266,253
|
436,972
|
519,403
|
538,433
|
100,065
|
1,861,126
|
|
|
North Carolina
|
306,835
|
99,573
|
222,245
|
219,551
|
114,646
|
962,850
|
|
|
North Dakota
|
42,508
|
1,606
|
10,947
|
5,154
|
7,605
|
67,820
|
|
|
Ohio
|
282,425
|
231,528
|
181,348
|
523,358
|
88,138
|
1,306,797
|
|
|
Oklahoma
|
144,491
|
43,277
|
75,629
|
53,442
|
70,445
|
387,284
|
|
|
Oregon
|
112,571 |
123,900
|
36,064
|
46,622
|
47,174
|
366,331
|
|
|
Pennsylvania
|
270,252 |
493,564
|
157,885
|
311,411
|
124,021
|
1,357,133
|
|
|
Rhode Island
|
20,832
|
52,865
|
26,578
|
12,797
|
13,948
|
127,020
|
|
|
South Carolina
|
141,818
|
25,027
|
116,280
|
112,084
|
79,490
|
474,699
|
|
|
South Dakota
|
48,361
|
1,728
|
12,200
|
6,484
|
12,186
|
80,959
|
|
|
Tennessee
|
177,058
|
98,301
|
218,296
|
119,805
|
74,635
|
688,095
|
|
|
Texas
|
605,269
|
249,041
|
315,925
|
434,318
|
283,273
|
1,887,826
|
|
|
Utah
|
55,190
|
20,006
|
21,328
|
32,732
|
37,130
|
166,386
|
|
|
Vermont
|
26,952
|
114
|
16,384
|
17,100
|
6,513
|
67,063
|
|
|
Virginia
|
248,489
|
37,304
|
107,440
|
119,686
|
196,905
|
709,824
|
|
|
Washington
|
154,165
|
79,693
|
98,660
|
108,511
|
107,614
|
548,395
|
|
|
West Virginia
|
93,142
|
11,932
|
43,544
|
87,625
|
21,140
|
257,383
|
|
|
Wisconsin
|
134,628
|
59,727
|
110,644
|
142,557
|
35,874
|
483,430
|
|
|
Wyoming
|
22,767
|
955
|
5,771
|
7,994
|
7,614
|
45,101
|
|
|
Puerto Rico
|
24,139
|
234,574
|
1,526
|
11,524
|
12,019
|
283,782
|
|
|
Virgin Islands
|
2,537
|
56 |
21 |
3,086
|
244
|
5,944
|
|
|
Other^ |
3,127
|
2,262
|
1,142
|
0 |
34,121
|
40,652
|
|
|
Total
|
8,071,294
|
5,772,767
|
5,826,789
|
6,820,260
|
3,549,341
|
30,040,451
|
|
*Stand-Alone PDP includes
2.2 million enrollees recieving the limited income susidy.
**Medicare Advantage includes 930,000 enrollees recieving the limited
income susidy. About 500,000 of these are Medicare-Medicaid
beneficiaries.
^Other includes other territories and beneficiaries whose address
information is being updated.
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