Americans United Minnesota
Coalition calls on Congress to extend May 15 Medicare Part D
Enrollment until the program is fixed
On May 15, all seniors and persons
with disabilities are required to sign up for the confusing and
costly Medicare Part D prescription drug plan. Those who do not
enroll face a significant penalty... a 1 percent increase per month
for life. The penalty could add up to 7 percent per year to a
recipients' prescription drug bill.
Americans United Minnesota will
hold a press conference to request the Minnesota congressional
delegation to vote to extend the May 15 deadline for Medicare Part D
enrollment to the end of 2006. The Part D prescription drug program
has been identified as costly and confusing because it comes with
more than 500 plans all with different premiums, co-pays and
formularies.
Extending the May 15 deadline
would allow Congress time to make the desperately needed changes to
Part D -- without penalizing the millions of eligible Americans
without drug coverage who have not yet enrolled. Americans United
Minnesota suggests the following changes to Medicare Part D:
-- Require Medicare to use its
free market muscle to negotiate with drug companies for lower
prices.
-- Close the "donut hole" gap in
coverage between $2,250 and $5, 100.
-- Allow seniors the choice of
obtaining their prescription drug plan directly from Medicare
instead of a private insurance company.
-- Prohibit insurance companies
from taking medications off their list of approved drugs during any
period when someone is not allowed to move to another plan