Help With Medicare Drug Plans is on the Way
Posted on: Tuesday, 20 December 2005, 09:00 CST
By Phil Galewitz, The Palm Beach Post, Fla.
Dec. 20--A national campaign to educate senior citizens about the new Medicare drug benefit will roll into Belle Glade today.
My Medicare Matters, organized by The National Council on the Aging and supported by drugmaker AstraZeneca, will offer seniors one-on-one counseling at the event, which starts at 10 a.m. at the Dolly Hand Cultural Arts Center, 1977 College Drive. Educators will assist seniors who are ready to select a prescription plan in completing the online enrollment process or filling out the proper forms to mail in.
My Medicare Matters is holding events across the country through May and deploying a fleet of 37 mobile education vans, which will bring trained staff and technology to 27 states and the District of Columbia. Locally, future events are scheduled in Stuart and Belle Glade.
Seniors have until Dec. 31 to enroll in one of 44 Medicare drug plans in Florida if they want it to start Jan. 1. Seniors who don't now have coverage have until May 15 to enroll in a drug plan or face a 1 percent premium penalty, which accumulates each month.
Across the country, seniors say they're confused by the huge selection of private drug plans plus the many Medicare HMO and PPO plans that also offer drug coverage.
Theresa Clark, program coordinator for the Glades Initiative, a consumer group in Belle Glade that will be assisting at the event today, said seniors don't understand how the new Medicare drug benefit works. Five counselors will be available to review plan options.
"The My Medicare Matters education teams are a real asset to anyone in the Palm Beach County-area who is eligible for Medicare, as well as their families," said Bob McFalls, consultant for National Council on Aging. "It is getting more and more difficult for seniors in particular to sort through the barrage of information coming out on Part D, so this source of unbiased, education-based material can really empower these individuals to make the choice that works for them."
For more information, go to www.mymedicarematters.org. Or call (800) MEDICARE for more information. Another local resource is the Area Agency on Aging MAPS Center at (561) 688-1211, which also offers seniors counseling on drug plans.
-----
To see more of The Palm Beach Post -- including its homes, jobs, cars and other classified listings -- or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.palmbeachpost.com.
Copyright (c) 2005, The Palm Beach Post, Fla.
Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.
For information on republishing this content, contact us at (800) 661-2511 (U.S.), (213) 237-4914 (worldwide), fax (213) 237-6515, or e-mail reprints@krtinfo.com.
AZN,
Source: The Palm Beach Post
Related Articles
- Medco's 2010 Medicare Prescription Drug Plan Helps People Take an Active Part in Lowering Prescription Costs
- Seniors' Drug Plan Deadline Won't Change: The Government Expects Millions More People to Sign Up for the Medicare Program Before May 15. They'Ll Pay a Penalty If They Enroll Later.
- Medicare Prescription Drug Plan is Working for Seniors
- Detroit Seniors Get the Gift They REALLY Want: Personalized Education and Enrollment Assistance With Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit
- The New Medicare Prescription Drug Plans
- Help for Picking the Right Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit
- InStil Health Approved to Offer Medicare Prescription Drug Plans in South Carolina and Georgia
- Florida Medicare Prescription Drug Plans
- AvMed To Offer Medicare Prescription Drug Plan to Medicare Beneficiaries; Health Plan Offers Additional Help to Medicare Recipients in Dade and Broward Counties
- AARP Endorses Medicare Drug Benefit Plan
 |
 |
User Comments (0)
RSS Feeds