State Circuit Breaker, SeniorCare Enrollees to Get Drug Plan Choice
Posted on: Thursday, 6 October 2005, 18:00 CDT
By MARY MASSINGALE STATE CAPITOL BUREAU
Illinoisans enrolled in the state's income-eligible Circuit Breaker and SeniorCare prescription drug programs will have a choice between two Medicare prescription drug plans.
UnitedHealth Group and PacifiCare Health Systems were the only companies to bid on a state contract to offer Medicare Part D plans for the nearly 229,000 residents enrolled in Circuit Breaker and SeniorCare. Those two programs and their enrollees are being consolidated into what's being called Illinois Cares Rx, which will wrap coverage around the upcoming Medicare prescription drug program set to begin Jan. 1.
SeniorCare has an income-eligibility limit of up to $19,140 for singles and $25,660 for couples, while Circuit Breaker has a limit of no more than $21,218 for singles and $28,480 for couples.
A spokeswoman for the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services said Monday program enrollees will receive letters from the state and both companies outlining the two plans. If enrollees do not make a choice, they will be assigned to one.
"It is important that they know the names of the plans, since they will be receiving a lot of information on Medicare Part D," Christine Glunz of HFS said.
Saturday marked the first day companies could begin marketing their Medicare Part D plans to consumers. The federal government this month also will send out information on the new prescription drug benefit to all Medicare-eligible residents, as well as establish a Web site at www.medicare.gov that will offer a "finder" tool that compares and contrasts the drug plans offered in each state.
The federal government has approved 17 organizations to offer Medicare Part D plans in Illinois to those not enrolled under Circuit Breaker or SeniorCare, Glunz said, and many organizations offer multiple plans. Residents can sign up for a plan from Nov. 15 through May 15, 2006, but must have enrolled by Dec. 31 to get coverage Jan. 1.
People who do not sign up for Part D when they are originally eligible, but enroll later, will have to pay a 1 percent penalty per month in premium costs.
Representatives with HFS, the Illinois Department on Aging, the Illinois Department of Human Services and the Senior Health Insurance Program are traveling the state to promote Illinois Cares Rx and Medicare Part D and offer private, computer-based counseling. The "Illinois Cares Rx Caravan" was launched in August at the Illinois State Fair and will continue traveling the state into December.
Source: State Journal Register
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