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【技术产业】资深议员提交2007年医药计划的时候
Time for seniors to pick 2007 drug plan
Officials advise signing up for Medicare prescription drug plan as early as possible.
Kathleen O'Dell
News-Leader
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It's decision time again for Ozarkers age 65 and older — and any friends or family members who help them with financial decisions.
Between Nov. 15 and Dec. 31, seniors can enroll in a Medicare prescription drug plan — a benefit program launched in 2006 to help older adults and disabled people lower their prescription drug costs. Benefits will begin Jan. 1.
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Seniors who signed up for a plan during the initial enrollment period that began in November 2005 can also change plans beginning Wednesday.
People who are satisfied with their plan don't have to do anything to keep it; renewal for 2007 is automatic.
But most stand-alone plans raised monthly premiums by an average of $4.50, changed other costs and generally expanded the list of drugs they will cover in 2007, said Nancy Schmidt, with the Kansas City regional office of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
The plan you signed up for in 2006 may not be the best plan for you in 2007, so you should compare your current plan with new ones available this year, Schmidt said.
Missourians have 53 stand-alone plan choices for 2007 compared with 41 in 2006, with more offering gap coverage.
"So while there's more to compare, so to speak, there are better options. ... We expect it to improve every year as we go along," Schmidt said.
To help with decision-making, senior agencies will offer one-on-one counseling through Dec. 31, and eight open enrollment clinics are planned in Ozarks towns through the Southwest Missouri Office on Aging.
Medicare officials say they also tweaked the online plan comparison tool since last year so seniors have a more reliable way to compare their expected costs under each plan. That site is still at www.medicare.gov.
"Help is out there," said Dorothy Knowles, executive director of the office on aging in Springfield. "We're already getting lots of calls and lots of walk-ins with requests for help."
Rogersville-area resident Curt Naegler already sought the help of a trusted independent insurance broker, Amy Kern of Roy W. Kern & Associates. She did all the plan comparisons and found the best plan for him.
Naegler said he liked that she represents many companies, so she isn't steering all her clients to one or two plans out of company loyalty.
"That stuff could be overwhelming," Naegler said, "and the secret to managing that is to have a good agent who you trust."
His Humana plan has a $16.34 monthly premium, a $7 co-pay for his 30-day generic drug and a $30 co-pay on his 30-day name-brand prescription. He just learned that his generic drug co-pay in 2007 will drop to $5.
"Ten minutes on the phone, and I don't have to worry about it the rest of the year," Naegler said. "I have the best plan at the most reasonable price for my situation."
Nearly 80,000 southwest Missouri seniors enrolled in one of the 52 available Part D plans last year, Medicare officials said.
The drug benefit, passed by Congress and signed into law by President Bush, saves seniors an average of $1,200 a year, according to Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt. The level of savings varies, depending on how many drugs a person takes, and the plan's coverage.
Save grief; act by Dec. 8
Senior advocates and policymakers are nervously hoping for a smoother enrollment period than last year's bumpy startup.
Amid the successful enrollments were widespread complaints: Enrollees were bewildered by the coverage details of 52 plans. Medicare help lines jammed under the volume of calls for help. Computer glitches left some enrollees off drug plan rolls and delayed others from getting their drugs on Jan. 1. Pharmacists were besieged.
Medicare officials have improved the computer systems so enrollees can get their prescriptions with minimal problems, Schmidt said. But it's not perfect.
That's why Medicare officials encourage seniors to enroll or make plan changes by Dec. 8, even though enrollment ends Dec. 31.
"We want people to make a change or enroll as early as possible to give the system time to update ... so they won't have problems getting their prescriptions," Schmidt said.
Are you an exception?
You don't have to enroll in a Medicare prescription drug plan if you have a drug benefit through a retirement plan, employer, veterans plan or other plan that is at least as good as standard Medicare coverage. That's called "creditable" coverage. If that plan or coverage level ends after Dec. 31, you may enroll in a Medicare plan without a financial penalty.
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作者:admin@医学,生命科学 2011-06-02 17:11
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