Decision time for Medicare Part D
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By DAVID WAHLBERG Wisconsin State Journal
Thursday, May 11, 2006 11:04 AM CDT
MADISON — Rose “Argy” Schreiber is bewildered by the new Medicare prescription drug program, with the deadline to sign up without penalty five days away.
Of 45 plans available in Wisconsin, Schreiber is considering a dozen. She has mostly narrowed her options to two, but isn’t sure which is best.
“I think I’ll have to flip a coin,” said the 80-year-old retired teacher from Sun Prairie. “A lot of the information is confusing and conflicting.“
Monday is the last day to enroll in Medicare Part D without having to pay a penalty. Eligible residents who wait would have to pay a penalty of 1 percent of their monthly plan cost for each month they delay.
The average premium in Wisconsin is $32 a month.
Many of Wisconsin’s 840,000 elderly and disabled residents eligible for the benefit are still figuring out what to do.
Others, like 65-year-old Leonard Waelti of Madison, have signed up, but don’t like the program.
Unlike Medicare coverage for hospital and doctor visits, run by the federal government and essentially the same for everyone, the drug program that started Jan. 1 is being offered primarily through federal contracts with private companies.
Monthly premiums for the dozens of plans available in Wisconsin vary from $11 to $63. Co-pays, deductibles and the types of drugs covered also differ.
“I think we’d be better without it,” Waelti said. “When you start getting into the private insurance, that’s just somebody else who’s got to make money besides the doctors and clinics.“
Still, Lisa Lamkins, associate state director of AARP Wisconsin, said many people are satisfied. Recent polls suggest enrollees are saving money on their prescriptions.
“Despite lots of problems at the beginning of the program, there has been a lot of progress,” Lamkins said. “Millions of people (nationally) are using this without any problems.“
Medicare Part D is voluntary. Many advocates are telling people to sign up for an inexpensive plan now to avoid the penalty that will permanently increase their rates if they enroll later.
One choice is the state’s SeniorCare plan, which costs $30 a year, with co-pays and deductibles based on income.
“Anybody can go on SeniorCare, and it will protect them from having to pay the Medicare penalty later,” said Rachael Thompson, a case manager with the Stoughton Senior Center.
As of May 7, more than 504,000 Wisconsin residents had signed up for Medicare Part D or had drug insurance through employer retiree programs. Another 100,000 have enrolled in SeniorCare.
That means nearly a quarter million people in the state eligible for Medicare have no drug coverage.
Martha Tonn, 87, of Sun Prairie, was one of them until this week.
She pays $60 a month for the three medications she takes for high blood pressure and heart disease. She’ll probably pay less with the new drug coverage she signed up for Tuesday. But she didn’t like having a penalty force her to pick a plan before Monday.
“Why pay into a pot of money for the government or someone else when I can still afford to pay for my medications?” Tonn asked.
The penalty, she said, “was like a shotgun pointing at me.”
Medicare Part D help Monday is the deadline to sign up without penalty for the new Medicare prescription drug coverage.
Places to get help
Medicare: 800-633-4227 or www.medicare.gov.
Wisconsin Prescription Drug Helpline: 866-456-8211.
Dane County benefits specialists (at the Coalition of Wisconsin Aging Groups): 224-0606, 800-488-2596 or www.cwag.org.
AARP: 888-687-2277 or www.aarp.org/prescriptiondrugs.
Contact David Wahlberg at dwahlberg@madison.com.
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