Medicare Part D

The deadline for seniors to sign up for the Medicare Part prescription drug benefit Medicare is May 15th. Current seniors (age 65), who are not already covered by other equally comprehensive drug plans, for example through their employer or union, and who fail to sign up by the May 15 th deadline face penalties if they decide to sign up for the benefit in the future.

The Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS) and its partners will be holding more than 1,000 enrollment events all over the country this week, to help people with Medicare enroll in a prescription drug plan before the May 15th deadline.  In addition to the availability of thousands more volunteers at State Health Insurance Assistance Programs (SHIPs) and many other advocacy and support organizations for seniors and people with a disability, Medicare will have 6,000 customer service representatives and enhanced online support will be available.

“With just a week to go, we are intensifying our local outreach efforts to get more seniors signed up before the May 15th deadline, and taking every measure possible to ensure that everyone who wants to join a Medicare drug plan can do so,” HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt said.  “Signing up is as easy as three simple steps.  One: Get your prescriptions together.  Two: Get your Medicare card.  Three: Call 1-800-MEDICARE or go online at www.medicare.gov.”

CMS is making available maximum customer service capacity through midnight on May 15th. The www.medicare.gov web site has also been enhanced to improve enrollment support. New features have been added to help users make a plan selection before May 15 th, and server capacity for the web site has more than quadrupled to better accommodate an increased number of users.  

People with Medicare can join a Medicare drug plan through the mail, phone or Web now through May 15, 2006. All completed applications postmarked on May 15th must be processed. The initial open enrollment period for Medicare prescription drug coverage ends at midnight local time on May 15th.

The National Grange has worked with CMS to bring vital information and support, regarding the Part D program, to rural communities across the country. Through our efforts, 200,000 copies of the MediGrange newsletter has been distributed; bringing awareness of the Part D program to otherwise overlooked rural areas. We strongly encourage all our members currently on Medicare, and those who take care of Medicare recipients, to contact CMS and find out if the Part D program can lower your prescription drug costs before the May 15th deadline.

If you have any questions or comments please contact Legislative Program Assistant, Peter Banks by e-mail: pbanks@nationalgrange.org by fax: 202-347-1091 or by phone: 1-888-4GRANGE, ext 105.

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