Beneficiaries Act As Medicare Drug Enrollment Deadline Ends

Medicare Enrollment Deadline

As the December 31 deadline looms for people with Medicare to change or choose their health and drug coverage, tens of thousands of beneficiaries are taking action daily to review their current coverage and make any necessary changes for 2007. With only three days left during open enrollment, Medicare is urging people who did not enroll in a plan before or who need to make a change in their current coverage to do so as soon as possible to minimize inconvenience at the pharmacy in January.

"We continue to urge all people with Medicare to focus on Open Enrollment and compare the cost, coverage and their satisfaction with their current 2006 plan with their 2007 options. If the beneficiary is satisfied with their current plan's benefits in 2007 after comparing it with other plans, they don't need to do anything. If they find other options that better meet their needs, there is still time to change," said Leslie V. Norwalk, Acting Administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). "Many are taking action now with the assistance of thousands of our partners across the country, with assistance from family and friends, and with our important resources at 1-800-Medicare and www.Medicare.gov It can't be emphasized enough: this is an important time for beneficiaries to make the most of their Medicare for 2007."

Throughout the Open Enrollment Period there continues to be a high level of activity on 1-800-MEDICARE and at the thousands of counseling events around the country. To sustain awareness, CMS is executing a multi-faceted outreach campaign nationally and locally to ensure that people with Medicare receive personalized assistance to make a confident decision in health and drug coverage plan selection.

Medicare enrollment opportunities are many and varied:

• Online: Since November 15, the Medicare Online Enrollment Center has processed more than 280,000 enrollments as of December 27th. There have been 61 million page views on Medicare.gov since October 15th, or about 1 million per day, and 30 million page views of the Plan Finder during that time.

• In-person: in more than 12,700 events nationwide, Medicare has been working closely with its partners across the country to provide counseling opportunities where people with Medicare live, work, play and pray. As part of its "Check-Up Season," CMS has partnered with faith-based communities to conduct education and health events at houses of worship. The Medicare "Mobile Office Tour" also continues, logging more than 70,000 miles to 165 cities with more than 200 stops since the tour began September 1. These events also highlight the preventive services available through Medicare, including flu and pneumococcal shots and diabetes screenings.

• At the pharmacy: national and local chain and independent pharmacies are working closely with CMS to provide assistance and information during the Open Enrollment period. Some examples include:

Thousands of individual independently owned and operated pharmacies providing assistance to beneficiaries across the country through in-store informational days, medication reviews and community presentations.

o CVS: Medicare Tuesdays More than 40,000 in-store informational sessions during Open Enrollment; during the initial enrollment period more than 1 million seniors attended Medicare Tuesday events.

o Kroger: CMS-trained pharmacists are assisting customers in comparing plan options.

o Medicine Shoppe International: Providing outreach within many local communities, including senior centers, assisted living and long-term care facilities.

o Rite Aid: All 9,000 pharmacists are specially trained on Medicare Part D to help seniors and caregivers navigate plan options.

o Walgreens: Planned more than 34,000 in-store education events, 700 community events and targeted Part D mailings during Open Enrollment.

o Wal-Mart: Providing more than 4,000 in-store and community outreach events as well as a one-minute consult guide for pharmacists; also designating a Part D specialist at each store pharmacy counter.

On the phone: 1-800-MEDICARE continues to be an important 24/7 source for personalized assistance during Open Enrollment. Since November 15, Customer Service Representatives received more than 5 million calls to 1-800-MEDICARE as of December 27th.

In addition, CMS is taking immediate action to ensure that beneficiaries who did not receive timely information from their current prescription drug plans will be given additional time to compare their 2006 and 2007 coverage and cost details and change plans if they choose. CMS is extending the enrollment period for the affected beneficiaries because the agency's top priority is ensuring that all beneficiaries have sufficient time and information to compare the cost and coverage of their 2006 and 2007 plans and make an informed decision about what plan best meets their needs. Affected beneficiaries will receive a letter from their current plan informing them that they will be able to change their plan if they so choose--anytime between January 1, 2007 and February 15, 2007.

"While independent surveys indicate people with Medicare are very satisfied with their current coverage, our goal during this time is to get people with Medicare to focus on getting the most out of their Medicare benefits and to use all of the information and sources of assistance possible to make informed and confident decisions," stated Norwalk.