Etheridge Asks Congress to Extend Medicare Prescription Plans Enrollment Period

News Release
Congressman Bob Etheridge
North Carolina

November 18, 2005

Contact: Joanne Peters
Phone: (202) 225-4531

Etheridge Asks Congress To Extend Medicare Prescription Plans Enrollment Period

Says New Prescription Medicine Plans Are Confusing For N.C. Seniors

WASHINGTON - As seniors began signing up for the new Medicare prescription medicine plans this week, U.S. Rep. Bob Etheridge (D-Lillington) asked Congress to extend the enrollment period by six months, citing confusion and difficulties registering for the program among seniors.

"The new Medicare prescription medicine plan is complicated and confusing. My office has been inundated with calls from seniors who are either confused about their options or are having difficulties with the online registration system," said Etheridge. "I did not vote for the new plan because it leaves a huge gap in coverage and provides no guaranteed benefit. Now that it has become law, I am working to help seniors understand all of the options available to them."

Etheridge is cosponsoring the Medicare Informed Choice Act, authored by Rep. Pete Stark (D-CA), which extends the enrollment deadline from May 15, 2006, to December 31, 2006, and allows seniors to change plans one time if they are unhappy with their choice. The bill also protects retirees from being dropped by their former employer's plan during the first year of the implementation of the plan.

Without these changes, beneficiaries will face a late-enrollment penalty if they enroll in a plan after May 15, 2006, could lose employer-provided retiree health benefits if they enroll in some Part D plans, and could be prohibited from switching plans until 2007.

The Medicare prescription medicine plan must be registered for online, however 76 % of seniors have never used the internet, according to a poll by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Harvard School of Public Health. More than 60% of seniors claim that they do not understand the new program.

"In North Carolina there are 38 different plans available for seniors and people with disabilities. Our seniors are facing mounting prescription medicine costs and the last thing they need is an array of confusing options to choose from. We need to give our seniors more time to ensure they can pick the plan which is right for them"

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