Get Ready for Medicare Part D

Get ready for the whirlwind of confusion that will accompany the November 15, 2005 sign-up for the Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Plan (PDP). Medicare recipients, 65 years of age and older, will be attempting to decipher how to choose the PDP that best suits their needs. The Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has blanketed the market with a slew of services, including an online PDP plan chooser, a website to educate beneficiaries regarding Medicare Internet search techniques, and numerous television ads. Nonetheless, confusion already surrounds the complicated choices seniors face. In an ominously titled web article, Confusion Is Top Response at Sessions on RX Plan, William Q. Beard, a 73-year-old retired chemist from Wichita, Kansas, who takes eight prescription drugs including several heart medicines, commented, “I have a PhD and it’s too complicated to suit me. . . . I wonder how the vast majority of beneficiaries will handle this.” Similar sentiments have been echoed in national newspapers and television broadcasts this week. Mike Leavitt, Secretary of Health and Human Services, said that in addition to the CMS plan chooser, beneficiaries can get help sorting through their options by calling, toll-free: 1-800-633-4227. Patients can also be referred to local seminars. It’s time to consider what you can do to make this difficult and important choice easier for your patients.