Posted on 05/15/2006 10:38:48 AM PDT by syriacus
When Mike Leavitt first came to Rhode Island last summer to promote the Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit, the feeling across the country was that the new program was so complex, that millions of seniors would just avoid it. Flanked by local officials at a Warwick senior center, the Health and Human Services secretary tried to assuage everyone’s concerns in advance.
“If you’re a senior, don’t worry,” he said. “There will be plenty of people to help you.”
It turns out that despite all the confusion, and all the bad publicity at the beginning of the year when some enrollees’ coverage didn’t work, most seniors weren’t scared off at all. In a conference call on Wednesday, with just six days before the May 15 sign-up deadline, Leavitt announced that Medicare Part D enrollment hadn’t just surpassed early predictions of 28 million to 30 million: It had already passed 37 million and was still rising.
“With the help of so many, we’ve been able to make history,” Leavitt said, adding that, if all went well, 90 percent of eligible seniors could be enrolled by the deadline.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services did not release updated state-by-state figures, but as of April 18, 127,020 of Rhode Island’s 176,960 Medicare beneficiaries – 72 percent – had prescription coverage, according to the Medicare Rx Access Network of Rhode Island, an alliance that is promoting the program.
At that point, coverage nationwide was at 70 percent (as of May 8, when Leavitt’s numbers were tallied, it had surpassed 86 percent), so Brian Cresta, regional administrator for Medicare, said Rhode Island’s numbers likely have kept rising as well. “Nationally, we’ve been enrolling about 650,000 people a week,” Cresta said.
CMS figures as of April 27 show that about 44,500 Rhode Islanders had enrolled in stand-alone Part D plans, with the biggest share – 20.7 percent – going to UnitedHealthcare, which has marketed its plans through the AARP and produced a widely distributed Part D guide.
Humana Insurance Co., which offered the lowest-priced plan, for $7.32 a month, seized a 17.8-percent market share, while Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island had 13.5 percent. But Rhode Island is an unusual market, officials say, because Medicare Advantage plans are extra-popular here. As of April 27, 49,400 seniors in the state were in such plans, 70 percent of them with Blue Cross and 29.4 percent of them with United. (The balance of those covered, a CMS spokeswoman said, are getting prescription coverage from other sources.)
Cresta said the biggest help with enrollment has been “word-of-mouth” from seniors who’ve found the benefit works well for them. Not that CMS would rely on word-of-mouth alone: 46,000 outreach events have been held nationwide, 1,000 of them last week.
The Medicare Rx Access Network held its own educational and promotional event on Monday at the East Providence Senior Center, and Lt. Gov. Charles J. Fogarty, who is heavily involved in elderly affairs, co-hosted a meeting with legislative leaders at a senior center in Pawtucket on Wednesday, “This is a work in progress,” Fogarty said in an interview. “There are clearly some issues that still need to be worked out. … But we believe that a proper use of the program cannot only help keep people healthy, but can also save money – direct state dollars.”
At least some seniors are already saving money, Monday’s event showed. Beverly Gofton, of Warwick, who is diabetic said even after paying her premium, she’s saving $95 a month. “Last December, I paid $147 for my monthly supply of insulin,” she said. “In January, I went back with my card, and I only paid a $28 co-pay.”
I have a better idea. How about NO government involvement in health care?
Maybe you start. What are some of the good things?
enter your 1) zip code, 2) what kind of coverage you have, [ for my MoM--none of the above] 3) whether you got a letter saying you were eligible for extra help in paying premiums [my Mother did not].
Click on the "continue" button down lower.
At the next page, do not enter any information, just click the "Choose a Drug plan type" button
When you get to the next page, click the button in part C."Search for medicare Prescription Drug plans"
On the next page go to B. Enter your medications
Where it says: If your total monthly drug cost is more than 35 dollars, we strongly recommend that you personalize your search by entering your drugs as this will provide you with the most personalized plan information.
Click on Enter my medications
After you are through entering her medications, click on Continue with Selected Drugs
You will get to a web page that asks if you want to select a particular pharmacy or continue to the plan list. I selected Continue to Plan List
You will be presented with a table of plans considered most likely for your wife. The table can be sorted by total cost, by deductible, etc. by clicking on the links at the heads of the columns
The Plan Information columns for each plan (Pink heading) has a select box which lets you view the "cost details for the plan" and the "drug details" for the plan.
I knew what my mother's drug costs were per drug, per year so I was able to figure out her savings.
syriacus, I'd also be interested in the link you used. Was it this one? https://www.medicare.gov/MPDPF/Public/Home.asp
You're right on that point.
Thanks, we will need it with everyone rolling over for the socialists and fascists.
Once the Republican politicians signed on with the liberals and convinced the rank and file Republicans to embrace "compassionate conservatism", (aka socialistic transfer payments and entitlements,) the die was cast. One party of big government, welfare statists was born and is assured of power for the foreseeable future until a new generation of real Americans comes up.
"This is turning out to be a disaster for the Dem's."
But at whose expense? If this had been a Dem Congress and Dem president putting this in place, conservatives would all be screaming about socialism and government healthcare. And so would the Republican Party.
This was nothing more than a taxpayer-financed vote-buying plan.
I stand by my statement. This abortion of a plan was passed because aawwwwww, seniors can't afford to buy medicine and food too dontcha know.
Too bad it wasn't aborted.
was passed because aawwwwww, seniors can't afford to buy medicine and food too dontcha know.
And pay their Country Club bills.
The contributions only started going up since I was really starting to make some money and I've been paying the max for about 2.5 decades now. I'll be lucky if I see half of that and what my employers have put in it...
Where did you hear that? Can you point me to a source?
Do you have any idea how this plan was picked for her? It may be the very best one for her needs. Keep in mind that ALL the plans are based on the prescriptions a person takes. It may be that her prescriptions are so costly that she was put in the Humana $53 premium that covers the GAP. Humana is the only plan that has a tier that will cover that gap if you need it.
If I recall on the Medicare.gov site when you go through putting in all the Prescriptions including the dosage there is a link you can click on where it asks you how you want the various plans to come up. I think there is one that specifically asks if you want the cheapest (This does not necessarily mean premium wise) to come up first. Remember just because you pay $53 a month in Premium in the long run it could still be cheaper because that plan covers the GAP
Thanks.
She has big costs.
Thank you. And that will probably help a lot of others, too.
I'm looking for the one where you fill in the prescriptions you take and then it compares the plans for you.
Then the Humana $53 a month premium is probably the best for her.
The tricky words in all the plans is you pay a certain amount and the plan pays a certain amount until the two together equal $2500. Then there is the GAP until YOU HAVE PAID $3000 out of pocket. The Humana Plan is the only one who has a plan to cover this GAP. A lot of people don't need to be in this plan but a lot of people do.
Right at the beginning it says
Compare & Enroll in a Medicare Prescription Drug Plan Click here to compare plans, enroll in a plan, check your current enrollment.Click on the link
If you decide on Humana you can go to their site. Humana.com follow the links to their RX plan and enter in you RX there. It will then come up with THEIR 3 plans and then you can see which one of THEIR 3 is the best for you needs.
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