-10-
MEDICARE PART D MARKETING OFF TO A ROCKY START
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services stumbled getting prescription drug plans got under way on Oct. 1. Their special insert in Parade magazine neglected to mention the �doughnut hole� of nearly $3,000 in coverage where people with Medicare will have to pay the full cost their prescription drugs. Then there is the mailing of 43 million copies of CMS�s annual handbook, Medicare & You. It contained a huge error, stating that low-income Medicare beneficiaries who qualify for an extra subsidy for their drug costs can choose any plan without paying a monthly premium. The truth is only 40 percent of the information on its Web site and now includes it on its telephone hotline. CMS will also rely on insurance companies to get the correct information to the 35 million seniors who will receive the handbook. No wonder seniors are confused. A USA Today/CNN/Gallup Poll taken in late September reports that 61 percent of American seniors don�t understand the new Medicare drug plan. Only 37 percent understand the program at least somewhat. CMS has said it hopes to sign up 30 million of the nation�s 42 million Medicare beneficiaries, but as the marketing began, 54 percent of those questioned in the latest poll said they did not plan to enroll. To help you make your decision, the AFT has created a set of key questions and answers about Part D: (http://www.aft.org/retirement/downloads/ MedicarePartD_Q&A.pdf). In addition, we urge you to visit Medicare Interactive/AFT (www.medicareinteractive.org/aft), a special Web site created by the AFT and the Medicare Rights Center.