It's Part D Day.

Byline: The Register-Guard

Today, 54,000 Lane County senior citizens can begin enrolling in the new federal prescription drug program called Medicare Part D. For a great many eligible retirees, the "D" in Part D stands for "Dread" or "Devil is in the Details."

Don't panic. The new plan is maddeningly confusing and far more complex than it needs to be, but despite all the frenzy, there's still plenty of time to get up to speed.

No one has to make an immediate commitment. Though the official launch today has generated an avalanche of news coverage, people actually have until the end of the year to enroll if they want coverage to begin in January, and all the way until next May 15 to sign up without penalty.

The very best thing to do before making any hard and fast decisions is to attend a free informational session such as the one from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. today at the Lane Event Center's Wheeler Pavilion. In addition to presentations by state and federal officials, representatives from health plans, insurance companies and pharmacies will be on hand to answer questions.

People who can't make it to today's session can get more information on the Part D drug plan by calling Medicare's toll-free number, [phone], or by visiting the agency's Web site, www.medicare .gov. For Oregon assistance, call the Senior Health Insurance Benefits Assistance program's toll-free number at [phone].

Everyone has loads of questions. Unfortunately, there aren't many one-size-fits-all answers. The best plans and strategies can vary widely depending on a person's individual circumstances.

Those circumstances include a person's financial resources, specific prescription medications and type of insurance - particularly if it includes prescription drug coverage. Details are important, so start assembling things like a checklist of all current prescription drugs, including the names of drugs as they appear on the prescription label, the dosage and frequency.

Ten large insurance companies and several regional providers are marketing coverage plans to seniors in Oregon, offering dozens of options with monthly premiums ranging from less than $20 to just under $40.

Web-savvy seniors can plug their drugs into a prescription plan finder on the medicare.gov Web site, but Internet access won't reach the vast majority of eligible participants. Recent surveys indicate that three-quarters of Medicare beneficiaries don't use the Internet.

Most participating plan providers are reputable businesses, but bogus operations are already surfacing, so it's important to be alert to possible fraud. Be wary of telemarketers. Federal standards prohibit companies from requesting personal financial information such as Social Security, bank account or credit card numbers as part of their marketing. No one should sign up for a plan over the telephone without double checking details of the plan and the company and calling back later.

Comparing plans is absolutely crucial; benefits and costs can vary dramatically. Seniors shouldn't hesitate to seek help from family members and organizations.

Providing prescription drug help to Medicare recipients was a worthy goal and a campaign pledge President Bush made sure he kept. But the program that emerged from Congress after one of the most expensive lobbying efforts in history looks as much like a benefit plan for insurance and pharmaceutical companies as it does for senior citizens.

After seniors get some answers, taxpayers ought to be lining up at their congressional representatives' offices with questions of their own. For starters, how will the federal government pay for this new program, estimated to cost up to $850 billion over the next 10 years? Why did it end up costing twice as much as the Bush administration initially told Congress it would?

And what sense did it make - except for drug company stockholders - to forbid the Medicare program from bargaining for lower bulk prescription drug prices to help control costs in this program?