Johnson Invites Secretary of Health & Human Services to South Dakota to Meet with Seniors on Medicare Part D

Press Release

Today, U.S. Senator Tim Johnson (D-SD) invited the Secretary of Health and Human Services, Michael Leavitt, to visit with seniors and pharmacists in South Dakota on the roadblocks they are facing with the Medicare Prescription Drug program. Leavitt will already be in South Dakota on March 9, 2006 for a meeting on avian flu. Johnson is hoping Leavitt will schedule this additional meeting while in South Dakota to discuss a program that currently affects one out of every six South Dakotans.

"[S]eniors across the country have been experiencing many challenges in understanding and accessing the Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit. In my home state of South Dakota, beneficiaries have found navigating the prescription drug plans overwhelming. Some seniors have been charged inappropriately for their drugs or are not being identified as eligible. I believe that if we held a meeting together in South Dakota, it would provide an opportunity to address some of the issues of concern to seniors and work together to identify solutions that we can both support," Johnson said in his letter to Secretary Leavitt.

Johnson is working with colleagues on several pieces of legislation designed to eliminate giveaways, make the program fairer to seniors, and improve the administration of the program. Additionally, Johnson has cosponsored amendments to the tax reconciliation bill being debated on the Senate floor today to improve the tax bill and help seniors currently frustrated by Medicare Part D.

"I am hearing from seniors across South Dakota that this program needs changes, and I will look for opportunities to take action and improve this mess," Johnson said. "These are realistic and modest changes I am hoping my colleagues will make today."

Amendment #2697- Senator Bill Nelson will offer the Medicare Informed Choice Amendment. Johnson is a cosponsor of the stand-alone bill on this (S. 1841). The legislation will expand the existing six-month open enrollment period to the entire year of 2006. This will give people added time to do the research and make the best decisions for themselves. The amendment also gives every beneficiary the opportunity to make a one-time change in plan enrollment at any point in 2006. Current law only permits a change during an open enrollment period.

Amendment #2698- Senators Jeff Bingaman and John Rockefeller are offering an amendment to the tax reconciliation bill that is based upon Senator Rockefeller's bill, S. 2183, the REPAIR Act. Johnson is a cosponsor of the REPAIR Act. The amendment will:

Provide Guaranteed Access to Prescription Drugs

· Require plans to include a minimum 30-day first-fill in their transition policies.

· Allow presumptive eligibility for dual eligibles at the point-of-sale.

Reduce the Burden on Pharmacies

· Hold pharmacies harmless for the transaction costs associated with the E-1 billing modification.

· Allow pharmacies to bill CMS directly for the costs of providing a transitional supply of prescription drugs to dual eligibles.

Provide Federal Reimbursement to States and Beneficiaries

· Require CMS to provide compensation to dual eligibles incorrectly charged premiums, deductibles or other cost-sharing above statutory limits

· Require CMS to provide full reimbursement to states who incurred unexpected costs filling the gaps.

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