The new Medicare voluntary outpatient prescription drug benefit (Part D) will go into effect on January 1, 2006. All Medicare beneficiaries will be eligible for this new service, which is designed to lower the cost of prescription drugs for most senior and disabled beneficiaries. People on Medicare will have to sign up for a Medicare prescription drug plan to receive the benefit, and the various drug plans will provide a wide array of options. Part D will also present challenges for the state and county agencies responsible for implementing the new benefit, and will change the system of drug coverage for low-income Medicare beneficiaries in California who currently receive drug coverage through Medi-Cal. Beneficiaries can sign up for the drug benefit beginning on Nov. 15. For more information, please see the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (www.medicare.gov.)
NACHC has launched a Part D HELPLINE for health center pharmacies. As health centers gear up for the new Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Program, NACHC has set up a toll-free helpline to assist health centers with pharmacies. The helpline will assist health centers that want to join PDP networks and advise them of how they may be able to secure reasonable reimbursement rates. Health centers can call 1-866-246-8511 between the hours of 9AM and 5PM EST Monday through Friday. The Helpline is staffed by pharmacists who are familiar with Medicaid and Medicare pharmacy issues and the emerging Part D
Enrollment in the new Medicare voluntary outpatient prescription drug benefit (Part D) began on Nov. 15, and the benefit will go into effect on January 1, 2006. All Medicare beneficiaries will be eligible for this new service, which is designed to lower the cost of prescription drugs for most senior and disabled beneficiaries. People on Medicare will have to sign up for a Medicare prescription drug plan to receive the benefit, and the various drug plans will provide a wide array of options. Part D will also present challenges for the state and county agencies responsible for implementing the new benefit, and will change the system of drug coverage for low-income Medicare beneficiaries in California who currently receive drug coverage through Medi-Cal. For more information, please see the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (www.medicare.gov) or call 1-800-MEDICARE.
CMS has launched a web-based tool that will allow beneficiaries to compare prescription drug plans available under Part D. The prescription drug plan finder shows beneficiaries how much they will pay in premiums and drug costs under each plan in their area, as well as how much they can reduce their costs by substituting generic or other drugs for more expensive medications. Beneficiaries can enter information such as what types of drugs they take and how much they are willing to spend in out-of-pocket costs. The program then sorts through the plans offered in the beneficiary’s area and list those that meet the specified criteria. The plans in the beneficiary's area are ranked by annual cost. Beneficiaries also can compare what they would pay under a Medicare Advantage plan and a stand-alone plan. In addition, the tool allows beneficiaries to input their Medicare number and birth date to receive more personalized information, such as whether a former employer is offering drug coverage or if a low-income person qualifies for extra financial aid. To view the web tool, please visit the following website: http://plancompare.medicare.gov/formularyfinder/selectstate.asp
Other groups are also offering assistance with Part D. The National Asian Pacific Center on Aging (NAPCA) has developed toll-free multilingual hotlines to assist Asian and Pacific Islander (API) seniors with understanding and enrolling in the prescription drug plans. The hotlines are available in Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese. The Hotline numbers sponsored by NAPCA are:
English 1-800-582-4218
Chinese 1-800-582-4218
Korean 1-800-582-4259
Vietnamese 1-800-582-4336
The National Alliance for Hispanic Health (NAHH) has also developed a toll-free hotline in Spanish for those patients needing assistance with the Medicare Part D enrollment process. The NAHH toll-free hotline is: 1-866-783-2645
NACHC has launched a Part D HELPLINE for health center pharmacies. As health centers gear up for the Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Program, NACHC has set up a toll-free helpline to assist health centers with pharmacies. The helpline will assist health centers that want to join PDP networks and advise them of how they may be able to secure reasonable reimbursement rates. Health centers can call 1-866-246-8511 between the hours of 9AM and 5PM EST Monday through Friday. The Helpline is staffed by pharmacists who are familiar with Medicaid and Medicare pharmacy issues and Part D.