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GET READY: MEDICARE PART D OFFERINGS BEGIN
Oct.1 was the first day that Medicare Part D plans could begin shopping their wares to the more than 40 million Americans with Medicare. Large numbers of plans have been approved, including 10 national stand-alone drug plans. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, which is overseeing the benefit, expects that most Medicare-eligible seniors will have a choice of between 11 and 23 plans. Comedians are already warning people with Medicare to get bigger mailboxes as the blizzard of promotions begins. Scores of companies are expected to join the gold rush, which is projected to increase drug maker profits by some $139 billion. Premiums will vary from the national average of $32 per month by location, coverage, overhead and ability to negotiate volume discounts. Aetna, for example, says it will charge premiums ranging from $27 to $68 per month, depending on the plan and where the beneficiary lives. Cigna will offer three different drug plans in all 50 states, with premiums ranging from $30 to $52 per month. Seniors should beware of marketing scams during this heavy promotional period. Insurers may market their plans over the phone but must abide by the federal do-not-call rules and honor �do-not-call- again� requests. Door-to-door solicitations are prohibited. Medicare ID numbers, bank account or credit card numbers or any other personal details should never be given marketers, especially over the phone.
AFT Rx FOR NEW MEDICARE DRUG PLANS
To help members and their families cope with the complexity and confusion generated by the new Medicare Part D plans, the AFT has created and sent a series of bulletins for people with Medicare (34A), union negotiators and lobbyists (34B) and drug plan sponsors and administrators (34C). The bulletin for people with Medicare can be found in the retiree section of the AFT Web site. In addition, the AFT has teamed up with the Medicare Rights Center, a nationally recognized leader in counseling people with Medicare, to create Medicare Interactive (www.medicareinteractive.org/aft), a special Web site with up-to-the-minute information on Medicare coverage and detailed coverage on the new prescription drug plan. Visit Medicare Interactive to get immediate answers to Medicare questions about Part D and many other parts of the program.
A Medicare Drug Planner Cost Estimator on the CMS Medicare Web site now allows those with no current drug coverage to enter their monthly drug costs and see how much money they could save under the new benefit. It also permits individuals to compare plans in their area. But the tool bases its calculations on the lowest-published premium in a person's state, which tends to be lower than an individual�s actual premiums. Beginning Oct. 13, CMS plans to offer other tools that will help those who already know which drug plan they want and those who don�t by providing customized plan options and alerting beneficiaries whether they already are enrolled in a Medicare Advantage or Medicaid plan or have employer-sponsored coverage. More info: http://www.medicare.gov.