Rep. Israel Calls For Changes To Medicare Law

Rep. Israel Calls For Changes To Medicare Law

Cites Misleading Typos in New Medicare Handbook

Hauppauge, NY(10/07/05)-Congressman Steve Israel (D-Huntington) expressed his indignation today over the errors contained in a new Medicare handbook being sent to 38 million households, at a cost of $42 million, which contains an error that may lead low-income beneficiaries to sign up for prescription drug plans they cannot afford. It was the first major glitch in the rollout of Medicare's new prescription drug benefit that kicks in January 1.

"The more we know about the Administration's prescription drug plan, the more confusing it gets," Israel said. "Now we have learned that even the people running Medicare published a $42 million dollar booklet that has factual errors. The book should be scrapped, and so should the confusing elements of the drug plan."

The error could have a direct negative impact on the poorest Medicare beneficiaries. The handbook, called "Medicare & You" mistakenly tells those beneficiaries eligible for extra assistance that every drug plan is available to them with no monthly premium. In fact, only some of those plans charge no premium.

While continuing to call for changes to the law, Israel is working to ensure his constituents understand the new Medicare prescription drug benefit so they can get the best deal possible from this program. Just last month, Israel launched a new website that includes information on who is eligible to participate in the program, when applicants can enroll and how much the program costs. The site also includes links to the Department of Health and Human Services' Medicare website and the Social Security Administration's website for prescription drug coverage for individuals with limited income.

http://www.house.gov/israel/news/100705-medicare.htm