Coleman Says Now is the Time to Sign up for Prescription Drug Savings

COLEMAN SAYS NOW IS THE TIME TO SIGN UP FOR PRESCRIPTION DRUG SAVINGS

Senator Norm Coleman announced the opening of the enrollment period for the Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit today, and encouraged eligible Minnesotans without coverage to sign up for the program, while also urging current enrollees to review their plans for any possible changes in advance of the December 31st enrollment deadline. Medicare Part D, which for the first time provides prescription drug coverage for Medicare beneficiaries, took effect on January 1st, 2006 and has resulted in average savings of $1,200 for enrollees already this year.

"Medicare Part D has provided hundreds, and in some cases thousands, of dollars in savings for seniors and other eligible people in Minnesota during its first year," Coleman said. "Today, I encourage any eligible folks not yet enrolled to take advantage of the program. I also want to urge all current enrollees to take a close look at their existing plans to see if there will be any changes in their coverage for next year. With the enrollment period ending on December 31st, the sooner folks get started the better."

The current open enrollment period, which begins today and ends on December 31st, 2006, allows eligible beneficiaries not yet enrolled a chance to sign up for the benefit, and also allows current enrollees the option to change plans. An estimated 702,000 Minnesotans are eligible for the Medicare Part D program, with at least 547,000 Minnesotans currently being covered by the program.

Along with encouraging enrollment, Coleman also urged the individual prescription drug programs to make available easy-to-understand cost estimates, including any potential "doughnut hole" effects for their plans.

"With some of the challenges we faced in the first year, I strongly urge the various prescription drug program providers to make available simple, easy-to-understand cost estimates for any person interested in signing up for their plan," Coleman said. "Those programs already providing this type of information have helped seniors make the best choices, and I believe all drug plans should offer the same kind of transparency and customer service."

Those with questions about individual plans or enrollment are encouraged to contact Senator Coleman's constituent services staff at 651-645-0323. Also, Part D beneficiaries can contact the Senior LinkAge Line at 1-800-333-2433 (or senior.linkage@state.mn.us) and the Medicare helpline at 1-800-Medicare.

http://coleman.senate.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction=PressReleases.Detail&PressRelease_id=1142&Month=11&Year=2006