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Skriven 2006-03-14 23:33:12 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (0603141) for Tue, 2006 Mar 14
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Fact Sheet: The Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit: Helping Seniors and
Reducing Costs
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For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
March 14, 2006

Fact Sheet: The Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit: Helping Seniors and
Reducing Costs


˙˙˙˙˙In Focus: Medicare

Today's Presidential Action

Today, The President Discussed How The Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit
Is Helping Seniors And Americans With Disabilities Receive The Drugs They
Need At Reduced Costs. Ten weeks since the Medicare prescription drug
benefit went into effect, over 26 million people with Medicare now have
prescription drug coverage, and hundreds of thousands more are enrolling
each week.

The Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit Is Helping Seniors And Reducing
Costs

The New Program Is Working Well For Most Seniors, And Early Challenges Are
Being Corrected. The Administration is working to ensure that drug plans
get up-to-date information on beneficiaries by improving computer data
transfer between Medicare and private plans. Since January, more than 2,700
events have been held across the country to answer individual questions and
get people help. In the first ten weeks of the Medicare prescription drug
benefit rollout, Health and Human Services Secretary (HHS) Michael Leavitt
has traveled to 19 states and met with numerous Governors. The Centers for
Medicare and Medicaid Services and HHS have helped local pharmacists
identify seniors' needs by adding more operators at call centers and
improving pharmacists' training and education about the Medicare
prescription drug benefit.

Strong Competition Is Lowering Costs For Seniors And Taxpayers. This year,
the Federal government will spend an estimated 20 percent less overall on
the Medicare prescription drug benefit than projected last July. The
average premiums seniors pay for their prescription drug benefits are a
third less than expected - just $25 per month instead of the earlier
estimate of $37 per month.

Seniors Must Sign Up By May 15, 2006, To Receive The Lowest Premiums Under
The Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit.
  ū Seniors Can Sign Up Online, Over The Phone, By Fax, Or Directly With
    Health Plans. Seniors or family members with questions about the
    Medicare prescription drug benefit can call 1-800-MEDICARE or visit
    http://www.medicare.gov.
  ū Assistance Can Also Be Obtained From Partner Organizations Including
    Pharmacists, Senior Centers, The AARP, And The Council On Aging.

Registration Provides Seniors Peace Of Mind By Protecting Them From
Unexpected Drug Expenses. Seniors now paying low prescription drug costs
should consider joining to avoid unforeseen, higher prescription drug costs
later in life.

The Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit Helps All Medicare Beneficiaries Pay
For Prescription Drugs

Everyone On Medicare Can Get Help, No Matter How They Pay For Their Drugs.
Seniors with average drug expenses will spend about half of what they
previously spent on prescription drugs. Medicare provides extra help to
beneficiaries with high prescription costs. Medicare covers 95 percent of
all prescription costs once beneficiaries spend $3,600 of their own money
in a given year.

The New Drug Coverage Offers More And Better Choices Than Ever Before.
Seniors can choose from a number of private plans to find the one that best
serves them - and plan providers are competing for seniors' business. That
means seniors can save more and get the coverage they want.

Medicare Will Pay Nearly All Of Low-Income Beneficiaries' Drug Bills.
Low-income seniors are eligible for prescription drug coverage that
includes little or no premiums, low deductibles, and no gaps in coverage.
On average, Medicare will pay for more than 95 percent of the costs of
prescription drugs for low-income seniors.
  ū Eligibility Forms Are Available. Subsidy applications have been mailed
    to many low-income seniors and Americans with disabilities. Forms are
    also available at locations around the country, including over 30,000
    pharmacies, or through the Social Security Administration. No financial
    documents or complicated records are required to show eligibility for
    the subsidy.

Medicare Is A Critical Safety Net For Americans With Disabilities. Millions
of Americans with developmental and physical disabilities, mental illness,
and HIV/AIDS count on Medicare, and new Medicare coverage brings modern
medicine to them.

The Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit Offers Better Choices

The Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit Offers Choice And Flexibility.
Everyone on Medicare can choose brand-name drugs or generic drugs.

The Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit Supports Employer And Union
Coverage. Employers and unions that provide drug coverage to former
employees can continue to do so, and Medicare will help them with the cost.

Medicare Advantage Plans Allow Seniors And Americans With Disabilities To
Choose Their Plans And Get Better Drug Benefits. Seniors and Americans with
disabilities who enroll in Medicare Advantage Plans can choose the plan
that works best for their needs and lifestyle and can save an average of
$100 each month over traditional Medicare.

Many Plans Provide Seniors Affordable Ways To Avoid Coverage Gaps. Under
the standard plan coverage specified under law, if a senior's cumulative
drug expenses reach $2,250, there is a gap in coverage until his or her
costs reach $5,100. However, competition between private plans has enabled
seniors to choose an affordable drug plan providing coverage in this gap.

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