19 July 2004
Medicare Simplifying Discount Card Info Agency Revising Medicare Web Site After Complaints About Complexity
The Bush administration has simplified information for its Medicare drug discount card program amid criticism that the plan is overly complex and discourages seniors from signing up.
The agency has pared down information on its web site Medicare.gov in an effort to ease seniors' confusion over the more than 70 cards available through the program, Medicare director Mark B. McClellan, MD, tells lawmakers.
Medicare set up the Internet site and a phone line to enable seniors or family members to decide which card offers them the best discounts based on preference of pharmacy and which drugs they use.
Two and a half months after private sponsors began promoting their discount cards, 4 million seniors, including nearly 1 million who will get a $600 credit this year to further help them pay for their prescription drugs, have signed up.
McClellan tells lawmakers that seniors contacting Medicare for assistance on the cards will now only receive information on the five best cards available to them. The move, while small, comes as the program strives to enroll more low-income and well-off seniors. Any Medicare beneficiary who does not have drug coverage through Medicaid is eligible to enroll in the Medicare-approved drug discount card program, but those who do not have good drug coverage now will find the greatest benefits according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
"You don't have to look at any of the other programs at all," McClellan tells members of the Senate Special Committee on Aging, "it doesn't have to be complicated."
Lawmakers continue to question why the program has signed up relatively few low-income seniors entitled to government help.
"There's still a large number of people who are eligible ... who are not taking advantage," says Sen. John Breaux (D-La.), the committee's senior democrat.
Lawmakers are pushing Medicare to find ways to automatically sign up more low-income seniors for the credits, since many do not know they are eligible for the money. The agency is focusing on seniors who already get prescription drug assistance through programs in individual states.
But only a handful of states have laws allowing automatic enrollment, McClellan says. "We are definitely trying to get those numbers up," he says.
Quest for the Ring?
Administration officials bill the drug discount card program as an interim step as private companies and the government prepare to implement a federally funded Medicare prescription drug benefit in January 2006.
Up to one-third of Medicare's 41 million senior and disabled beneficiaries are expected to qualify for some form of additional assistance over Medicare's planned partial help for patients' prescription drug spending.
The new enhancements include:
· A "Top 5 -- Best Choice" list of the five cards that offer the lowest aggregate prices for an individual's drugs (beneficiaries who want more information on more cards can get it)
· "Enrollment information" which provide easy-to-access, easy-to-use information on how to enroll(his includes online enrollment for all cards that offer it -- 36 different cards at this time)
· Improvements to the drug entry tool making it quicker for users to enter their drug information, including entering all drug information at one time
· An improved display of drug pricing information, making it easier for users to compare the price differences between brand and generic drugs
· More information about state pharmacy assistance programs
· Additional details about manufacturer "wrap-around" programs that offer additional discounts for beneficiaries who qualify for the $600 credit
· A new tool under "resources" allowing users to select their state and immediately see a listing of all drug card sponsors in their area
Still more democrats are upset over a Medicare law requirement calling for an assets test to determine who qualifies for the extra assistance. In addition to annual income thresholds, the assistance is limited to seniors with total assets under $6,000, including life insurance and funeral insurance policies.
The limits also include a $2,000 cap on personal effects. Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) criticizes the law for potentially denying assistance to a poor senior who has some heirloom furniture or a wedding ring.
"Would that make sense?" Stabenow asks. "I don't think there's a way to come up with a $6,000 assets test that's really fair."
McClellan says that he will act to make sure that Medicare applies the tests "effectively."
"I'm not going to be taking away benefits based on seniors keeping their wedding rings,"
By Todd Zwillich
Reviewed By Brunilda Nazario, MD
WebMD Medical News
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