California Health Insurance News 
Articles / In Many Cases, Medicare Part D Is Failing The Poorest Seniors
01/24/2006
Part D is the new prescription drug benefit for Medicare members.
Sign-ups started Nov.15 and go through May 15. People who signed up before the new year began, had coverage starting Jan. 1. The next enrollment period is Nov. 15 to
Dec. 31. Medicare members and seniors who don't already have a more generous private drug plan must sign up by May 15 or face higher premiums when they do enroll.
With each insurance provider in each state having different specifications on Medicare Part D coverage of prescription drugs, what at first was a welcome announcement, now presents difficult teething problems and causing extreme hardship for some seniors.
Some senior citizens are having trouble figuring out which plan is best for them. Others are encountering problems when they go to fill a prescription and information hotlines have been overwhelmed with queries.
"The secret in avoiding all the confusions," said David Thau, an experienced independent insurance advisor and CEO of 'Keep It Simple Insurance' in the Los Angeles area," is to spend time with your clients and make certain that the Medicare Plan D that is sold to them covers all their current drug requirements. In the case of our poorer population, just as much time and care should be allocated to them so that their circumstances are not made worse."
The federal government is projected to spend $42 billion on Medicare Part D this year. Its goal is to give subsidized prescription drugs to 30 million seniors.Medicare has also added more employees to staff the hotlines, and the individual plans say they are trying to fix the problems so there should be workable solutions to the current situation soon. For further enquiries Contact Medicare at 800-MEDICARE or go on line at www.medicare.gov. Contact the county's Senior Health Insurance Program at 410-222-4464. Check with your local senior center for upcoming SHIP presentations or counseling sessions or best of all consult your own personal insurance advisor.
