March 31, 2006

With a Month Remaining, Seniors
Should Explore the Part D Benefit

COLUMBUS, OH – Congresswoman Deborah Pryce (R-Upper Arlington) today submitted the following editorial:

The news as of late has been unrelentingly good.  America’s seniors are now enrolling in the new prescription drug benefit under Medicare in droves and are on average saving 50% on their much-needed prescription medications.

Over 27 million Americans are currently enrolled in the prescription drug program, and new beneficiaries are signing up at a rate of 380,000 per week – a 25% rate increase over last month.  As of March 18 th, more than 90,000 seniors in Franklin County now have prescription drug coverage, 4,000 in Madison, and 3,500 Union County.  It is now a foregone conclusion that the number of enrollees will greatly exceed Medicare’s first year projections.

A recent study confirmed that three out of five newly enrolled seniors reported they saved money under the plan, and four out of five said the plans they chose covered the drugs they needed.  To help further educate seniors about the program, I have held Medicare workshops around the district, and have been amazed not only by the tremendous interest in Part D, but by the many success stories relayed by beneficiaries who have already begun realizing significant prescription drug savings.  In Marysville, one woman who attended expects to save $6,000 a year.

For current beneficiaries, the Medicare Part D enrollment period ends May 15th, 2006, so there remains ample time to determine if the Medicare benefit is right for you.  Just like traditional Medicare -- under which those who enroll after the age of 65 incur a higher premium -- seniors wishing to join the program should do so before the deadline or they too will pay a higher premium.  It is thus very important to explore the program now to determine if it is a good fit for you.  Without question, Medicare Part D is not for everyone.  In passing the new law, Congress recognized the fact that many Americans are happy with their current coverage, and Medicare may not outperform some existing plans.  That is why we made the benefit completely optional for seniors. 

Despite all the good news and success stories surrounding the program, there is bitter pill of reality we all must take – it’s an election year, and thus politicking and demagoguery abound.  For transparently partisan reasons, opponents of the program have attacked it on a variety of fronts, and have unfortunately intimidated some seniors from exploring the benefit and from potential prescription drug savings.  You should not be thwarted by these efforts – 80% of seniors who have voluntarily signed up for Part D report having no problems related to enrollment or usage of their new benefits.

If you currently have prescription drug coverage through an employer or union, it is important to first determine if the benefits provided under Medicare Part D exceed those offered by your current plan. By law, anyone receiving prescription drug benefits should have received a letter from their plan administrator informing them whether their current coverage is better or worse than the coverage they would receive under Medicare. If you did not receive this information or fear you may have lost it, you can call your benefit authorizer or provider directly and ask a representative to compare your plan to Medicare over the phone.

To learn more about how you can enroll in a Medicare prescription drug plan, call 1-800-MEDICARE, or visit www.medicare.gov, or call the Ohio Senior Health Insurance Information Program (OSHIIP) at 800-686-1578.  At present, many partners are working together to help provide seniors with answers to questions they may have about the program.  The AARP recently began running advertisements to help educate people about Part D, and Medicare Today (www.medicaretoday.org) and Medicare RX Education Network  www.medicarerxeducation.org/are also working to disseminate information about the benefit through educational and enrollment events in central Ohio.

If you have enrolled in the Medicare Part D program, I am very interested in learning more about your thoughts on the experience to date.  Please share them with me by calling my Columbus office at (614) 469-5614; writing to me at 500 S. Front St., Room 1130, Columbus Ohio 43215; or sending me an email through my web site at www.house.gov/pryce.