23 November 2004

Medicare card deadline near

Holiday shoppers aren't the only ones facing a deadline.

Medicare beneficiaries holding one of the federal program's new discount drug cards have until Dec. 31 if they want to switch to a new card.

And seniors on limited incomes could get a $1,200 credit toward their prescription purchases if they sign up by the end of the year, compared with $600 if they sign up on Jan. 1 or later.

That's the message that the latest coalition to promote the cards will begin sending this month, as the push continues to enroll as many people as possible in the program created under the contentious 2003 law authorizing a prescription drug benefit under Medicare.

The Medicare Today campaign is spending $6 million nationwide on card seminars, counseling sessions and consumer education materials that will be distributed through doctor's offices, local senior organizations and community centers.

The drive is being spearheaded by the Healthcare Leadership Council, a Washington, D.C., group of pharmaceutical manufacturers and healthcare companies. Its almost 100 partners in Medicare Today include AARP, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the American Hospice Association.

"Our regional organizers will be doing this on the ground, going from community to community. We'll be providing information and answering questions," said Michael Freeman, the council's executive vice president.

What kind of reception they'll receive from local seniors, however, is uncertain.

Many remain confused by the cards. More than 50 are available statewide, most from private companies or HMOs that have contracted with Medicare, and each with its own coverage plan and network of participating pharmacies. Enrollment fees range from nothing to $30 a year.

"The only thing I've heard about the cards is that they're a poor buy," said Jay Slavin, a Delray Beach retiree with the Florida Silver-Haired Legislature, which works with state legislators on senior issues. "You can get good discounts at many drug stores."

Ron Kauffman, the host of the Senior Lifestyles radio show on WBZT-AM 1230, found that many of those at the card seminars he's hosted throughout the year were puzzled or uninterested. "It continues to be horribly misunderstood," he said.

Others were turned off by the cards' restrictions and the fact that they can't switch during the year, even though the plans are allowed to change what drugs they cover and their prices.

Dissatisfied consumers have only from Nov. 15 through Dec. 31 to sign up for another card in 2005. After that, the discount program disappears as the full prescription benefit under Medicare begins.

While it has no figures for Florida, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services say about 5.8 million of the 42 million Medicare beneficiaries nationwide have cards, although some are HMO patients who were automatically enrolled.

About 1.4 million are getting the $600 yearly credit toward medication purchases, available to those who earn less than $12,123 annually for a single or less than $16,362 for a couple.

Even the Medicare Rights Center, a nonprofit consumer group in Washington, D.C., that has not supported the cards, encourages those eligible for the credit to enroll.

Beneficiaries can add their $600 from 2004 to the additional $600 they'll receive in 2005.

By Diane C. Lade Staff writer

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