I'm a certified Medicare Benefits Counselor.  Part of my job is to assist seniors with information and enrollment in the Medicare Prescription Drug Program.  I agree with TSCL that the program is complicated and confusing and many of the seniors I speak with are dazed and confused.  I also feel there are many seniors in our area that will "miss the boat" and not enroll in Part D because they are dazed and confused not knowing what to do or where to turn. 

In our area I have held seminars and workshops to educate seniors on the ins and outs of the prescription program.  There are enrollment sites set up to assist seniors in enrollment and to explain their options when they enroll.  

Not everyone will be reached and, unfortunately, some will not receive their medications in 2006 because they did nothing.  Many seniors are homebound and have no one to help them and my heart goes out to those who fall into that catagory. 

Medicare tells seniors to "go online or call 1-800-Medicare" but 95% of the seniors I serve do not have computers nor access to one.  The other 4% would not know how to turn on a computer if they had one.  About 1% will be able to help themselves through the Medicare web site.  Then, I am told, "they can call Medicare."  Well, if you have been on the phone with 1-800-Medicare lately, you know what they face.  Many of the seniors have poor vision and hearing and are confused easily. 

There are Area Agencies on Aging in every state of the US and all are focused on getting the word out and assisting seniors in enrollment and selecting the best plan for their situation.  It is an impossible task and we are all overwhelmed.  All area agencies are doing the very best we can to help those we serve.

Medicare and Congress are out of touch with the seniors and do not understand the task ahead with enrollment.  I am sorry to say this program is too complicated and needs to be simplified.  Many insurance companies are talking to seniors and enrolling them without making sure the plans they are selling cover all the medications their seniors take. 

I do think the delayed enrollment penalty of 1% per month should be waived for the first year so that those seniors who fall through the crack, and there will be many, will be able to continue to enroll through 2006 without the 1% per month charge.  Please do what you can to have this penalty waived at least for the first year. 

Editor's note:  We received the previous from a certified Medicare Benefits Counselor, one of the people whose job it is to assist beneficiaries in the arduous task of choosing and enrolling in a Medicare prescription drug plan.  We have withheld the name to protect our writer's identity. -- Mary Johnson

March 2006