DeLauro on the Issues | Legislation
Rosa offers these quick tips about enrolling in Medicare Prescription Drug Plan:
Enrollment begins November 15, 2005 and ends May 15, 2006.
If you are a ConnPACE and/or a Medicaid beneficiary you are required to enroll
in Part D before December 31st.
If you do not choose a plan by December 31st, a plan will automatically be
selected for you. You will have an opportunity to change the plan if you do not
like the one chosen for you.
Unfortunately, there is no universal application to enroll in Part D. In order
to enroll, you must either call Medicare (1-800-633-4227) or go online at
www.medicare.gov.
If
you have health insurance that covers prescription drugs, you should receive a
notice/letter from the insurance company informing you as to whether or not your
coverage is as good or better than what Medicare is offering. If your plan is as
good as or better than Medicare, you do NOT
have to sign up for Medicare Part D. If you do not receive the notice,
you should contact your provider to find out. You should be aware that if you
sign up for the Medicare Part D, some insurance companies may drop your
benefits.
Pharmacies should be able to provide you with a printout/list of all your current
medications. This is assuming you go to one pharmacy. If you go to multiple
pharmacies then you need a printout from each one; or you may gather all your
medications and create your own list. If you decide to create your own list you
need the drug name, dosage size, frequency and drug cost (Example: Synthroid, 2
pills, 70 mg / pill, 2 times a day, $20.00).
When you decide to enroll in the Prescription drug plan you should have your
Medicare Card, your list of medications and the name of your pharmacy. You can
only enroll online at www.medicare.gov or by calling 1-800-633-4227.
You should be aware that each plan must offer the following:
-
Convenient access to retail pharmacies;
-
A process to get drugs that are not on the list of covered drugs when it is medically necessary; and
-
Useful information, such as how formularies and medication management programs work, information on saving money with generic drugs, and have a grievance and appeals process.
If you do not apply between November 15, 2005 and May
15, 2006 then you will be subject to the 1% penalty. The penalty only
applies to those that do NOT
have a prescription drug coverage or have coverage
that is not as good as what Medicare offers and decide not to enroll in the
Medicare Part D. The penalty is applied against the National Average or $30.20
in Connecticut. This penalty is carried over year to year.
There are 17 stand alone organizations offering plans
in Connecticut. (Example: Aetna Medicare is offering 3 plans, Prescription
Pathway is offering 6 plans)
If you have your list of prescription drugs and would
like to know which plans are covering those drugs you may want to go online at
www.medicare.gov.
 |
This is an official Website of the U.S. House of Representatives. | |
Washington, DC Office 2262 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 Phone: 202-225-3661 Send a message. |
District Office 59 Elm Street New Haven, CT 06510 Phone: 203-562-3718 |
|
