Later this fall, all Medicare beneficiaries will need to make a decision about whether to enroll in one of the new Medicare drug plans to receive the Medicare prescription drug benefit. In October, the government will mail information. Even if you already have prescription drug coverage through a former employer or union, you will need to watch for notification about your current coverage.
For seniors anxious to learn more about the new benefit and drug plans, right now, we've put together a list of some of the best senior-friendly web sites to find more information.
Medicare Rights Center
The Medicare Rights Center (MRC) is the largest independent source of health care information and assistance in the United States for people with Medicare. Founded in 1989, MRC helps seniors and people with disabilities get good, affordable health care. We find the web site one of the easiest to use and offering some of the most useful information for seniors. You can find answers to your questions about Medicare, including fact sheets to print out. You can also subscribe to a free weekly online newsletter, Dear Marci, which is designed to help you understand your benefits and options. — www.medicarerights.org/
Access to Benefits Coalition
The nonprofit Access to Benefits Coalition works to ensure that Medicare beneficiaries with limited incomes know about, and can make the best use, of all available resources for reducing the costs of prescription drugs. Chaired by the National Council on the Aging, the Coalition has 100 national voluntary organization members. The site links to BenefitsCheckUpRx, an online screening tool to help you learn about and enroll in government benefits, including the new Medicare prescription drug coverage, and other federal state and private programs that can help you save on health care and prescription drugs. You can print out a personalized report that lists programs you may qualify for, telephone numbers, and directions on how to sign up. — www.accesstobenefits.org/
Families USA
Families USA is a national nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that seeks high quality, affordable health care for all Americans. Their website serves as a consumer clearinghouse for information about the health care system and has in-depth sections on Medicare, Medicaid, prescription drugs among a wealth of other information. Look for the link on the homepage to "Medicare Central" and click on the link to "Medicare Road Show Materials." The Road Show Kit contains links to Q & A about the new Medicare Drug benefit, and a work sheet that you can print out to help you estimate what you will have to pay in 2006 for prescription drugs under Medicare's Basic Benefit. There is also an online Medicare calculator that will make the estimate for you. — www.familiesusa.org
Kaiser Family Foundation
The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation is a nonprofit, private operating foundation that focuses on the major health care issues facing the nation. It is an independent source of facts and analysis for policymakers, the media, the health care community, and general public. In the Medicare section of this website you will find an enormous amount of resources on the Medicare prescription drug benefit, including fact sheets, a Medicare drug benefit calculator, issues related to the drug benefit. — http://www.kff.org/medicare/index.cfm
Also on the Kaiser Family Foundation website, click on the link below for the Daily Health Policy Report, an outstanding comprehensive digest of the latest news affecting Medicare and Medicaid. — http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_hpolicy.cfm
Medicare
The official government Medicare web site has online tools to help you sort through what can be an overwhelming amount of confusing information. On the home page scroll to "Search Tools" and click on "Learn About Your Medicare Prescription Coverage Options." You will be taken to a screen that gives you information about the benefit, steps you need to take and when you should take them. You can download publications and do a search for answers to your questions. There is a "Qualifier Tool" that can help you save some time by directing you to the most relevant information based on the information you provide to questions. In addition, other links will provide you with basic information about how the Medicare Prescription Drug Plans work, how to enroll and information for persons who don't now take any prescription drugs. — www.medicare.gov
Also on the Medicare web site is contact information for your State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP). The program has counselors in every state that are available to provide free one-on-one help with your Medicare questions or problems. The following link provides toll-free and local phone numbers to your state program. — www.medicare.gov/contacts/static/allStateContacts.asp.
Social Security Administration
The new Medicare Drug Program offers additional help with prescription drug costs for low-income beneficiaries. You may be able to get help to pay for premiums, the annual deductible and co-payments, assistance that's estimated to average $2,100. You can learn more about whether you qualify and apply online at —
http://www.socialsecurity.gov/prescriptionhelp/index.htm
September 2005
