MEDICARE DEADLINE WEEK OFF MANY SENIORS STILL CONFUSED OVER WHAT DRUG PLAN TO PICK.Byline: BRAD A. GREENBERG Staff Writer Patricia Seek tried sorting through 48 Medicare prescription drug prescription drug Prescription medication Pharmacology An FDA-approved drug which must, by federal law or regulation, be dispensed only pursuant to a prescription–eg, finished dose form and active ingredients subject to the provisos of the Federal Food, Drug, plans before becoming exasperated with the multiple options. ``I couldn't possibly get into investigating all of them so I went with what I knew,'' said Seek, 83, of Encino, who chose AARP AARP, a nonprofit, nonpartisan national organization dedicated to "enriching the experience of aging"; membership is open to people age 50 or older. Founded in 1958 by Ethel Percy Andrus as American Association of Retired Persons, AARP now has over 30 million . About 3.8 million Californians have joined Seek by enrolling in drug plans since Medicare Part D began in November with the intention of providing cheaper prescriptions to low-income seniors and people with disabilities. One week remains for Medicare patients to enroll without being penalized pe·nal·ize tr.v. pe·nal·ized, pe·nal·iz·ing, pe·nal·iz·es 1. To subject to a penalty, especially for infringement of a law or official regulation. See Synonyms at punish. 2. . That includes about 500,000 eligible Californians, and experts expect a last-minute rush of sign-ups. Early on, the drug program, the first of its kind, was fraught with problems and apocalyptic predictions. Seniors were enrolled in plans that didn't cover all their medications. Medicare was so inundated in·un·date tr.v. in·un·dat·ed, in·un·dat·ing, in·un·dates 1. To cover with water, especially floodwaters. 2. with phone calls that distraught dis·traught adj. 1. Deeply agitated, as from emotional conflict. 2. Mad; insane. [Middle English, alteration of distract, past participle of distracten, patients would wait on hold for hours without getting answers. Pharmacists This is a list of notable pharmacists.
Eleven states, including California, passed emergency bills to cover the poorest Medicare recipients' prescription costs if the patient fell through the cracks. ``The governor has saved thousands of lives today,'' the California Medical Association said after Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (German pronunciation (IPA): [ˈaɐ̯nɔlt ˈaloɪ̯s ˈʃvaɐ̯ʦənˌʔɛɡɐ] signed an emergency bill. That bill has been renewed three times at a cost of more than $64 million as of midnight Sunday, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. the governor's press office. Some of that will be reimbursed by the federal government. Spokeswoman Sabrina Demayo Lockhart would not comment on whether there are plans to renew it again. A Medicare spokesman said many of the drug plan enrollment problems have been ``ironed out.'' ``Millions of prescriptions are being distributed every day through this program without these problems,'' spokesman Jack Cheevers said. Medicare estimates the average beneficiary will save about 50 percent a year on drug costs -- about $1,100. On a standard plan, a person who doesn't receive additional assistance pays a deductible That which may be taken away or subtracted. In taxation, an item that may be subtracted from gross income or adjusted gross income in determining taxable income (e.g., interest expenses, charitable contributions, certain taxes). of $250 and an average monthly premium of $32. Medicare covers 75 percent of prescription costs up to $2,250. After that, patients enter a ``doughnut hole,'' where they pay all drug costs until they have spent $5,100 out of pocket for the year. Then Medicare steps in and covers 95 percent of remaining expenses. ``The confusion remains. The program is extraordinarily complex,'' said Sandy Risdon, manager of the health insurance counseling and advocacy program at the Medicare-funded Center for Health Care Rights in Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. . Many seniors, including Seek, aren't sure whether their new drug plans have saved them money. Others are convinced. Bernice Nelson, on Medicare and Medi-Cal, used to pay $26 for a diabetic drug but now pays $2. Her seven other prescriptions have co-pays of $5 each. ``I'm saving a lot of money,'' said Nelson, 64, of Tarzana. Those who don't enroll before midnight Monday will be penalized when they join with an extra charge of 1 percent of the average national premium -- about 32 cents a month -- for each month they weren't enrolled. If they waited three years, the Years, The the seven decades of Eleanor Pargiter’s life. [Br. Lit.: Benét, 1109] See : Time penalty would be 36 percent of the average monthly premium. ``Right now it is pretty minuscule minuscule Lowercase letters in calligraphy, in contrast to majuscule, or uppercase letters. Unlike majuscules, minuscules are not fully contained between two real or hypothetical lines; their stems can go above or below the line. ,'' Cheevers said. ``If they go for several years it would be a substantial hit.'' With the deadline looming, senior service providers have not reported increased calls from distressed seniors and disabled people. ``I'm kind of surprised that in the last week before the deadline we are not getting more calls than we have,'' said Joy Fruth, care management director at ONEgeneration in Reseda. Medicare, however, has quadrupled its Web site's traffic capacity and has boosted its call-center corps to 6,000. ``We are expecting a surge like at the post office on tax day,'' Cheevers said. brad.greenberg(at)dailynews.com (818)713-3634 CAPTION(S): box Box: Time is running out SOURCE: Medicare and Los Angeles County Health Insurance Counseling & Advocacy Program |
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