Take Action Choose the Right Medicare Part D Plan for You
Take Action - Choose the Right Medicare Part D Plan for You
(Milwaukee, WI) Medicare prescription drug coverage, also known as Medicare Part D, is insurance that covers prescription drugs at participating pharmacies in your area. With the deadline to sign up for Medicare Part D approaching, it is of vital importance to me that seniors in my district fully understand all of their options. If you are a Medicare beneficiary, choosing whether to sign up for Medicare Part D and selecting the right plan are not easy decisionsthere are more than 45 different drug plans offered in Wisconsin, each of which varies in terms of your out-of-pocket costs, the drugs that are available, and what pharmacies you can use. Ultimately, it is not guaranteed that every senior would benefit from signing up for Medicare Part D, since some seniors may already be participating in other plans that provide better coverage.
I am encouraging seniors to take the time to inform themselves, seek out unbiased information, and finally weigh all options carefully before choosing a plan. Seniors who decide to sign up for Medicare Part D should do so by May 15, 2006 in order to avoid paying a late enrollment penalty. This penalty is waived for seniors already enrolled in SeniorCare and for those who have retiree prescription drug insurance at least as good as the new Medicare program.
You should know that Medicare Part D is not a uniform, national drug benefit. In order to get the new drug coverage, you have to purchase one of the private drug plans offered or enroll in a MedicareAdvantage (managed care) plan. Considering the complexity of Medicare Part D, I have urged my colleagues in Congress to pass additional safeguards, such as an extended registration period and the opportunity for seniors to switch plans during the first year of the program if they find the one they have chosen is not right for them. These safeguards would ensure that no one is unfairly penalized. For more on this topic, please read my recent editorial in the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.
http://www.house.gov/apps/list/press/wi04_moore/medicarepartd.html