“Although the initial transition period is ending, the requirement for an effective transition process for all the drug plans is not,” he told reporters. “We will impose penalties when plans don’t meet the Part D standards.”
McClellan said that Medicare would release data on insurers’ call-center wait times and handling of appeals “in a matter of weeks.”.
“So far, we haven’t seen comments that we should do something vastly different from what we’re doing now,” said McClellan, administrator for the Centers for Medicare and medicaid services. “We’ll keep looking closely to make sure we’re striking that balance.”
“Sometimes they have cost-savings benefits, sometimes they don’t,” said Merritt, president of the Pharmaceutical Care Management Association. “But mostly, it’s about getting patients the kinds of medicines they need.”.
Christina Pearson, a spokesman for the Department of Health and Human services, estimated that 500,000 people could receive notices as part of the “enrollment reconciliation process.”
The letters, being sent by private insurance companies on a government letterhead, say: “The purpose of this notice is to confirm your choice of a Medicare prescription drug plan and to ensure that you are enrolled in the plan you want.”
People have the option of staying in their original plan, but must indicate that desire by calling that insurer. Otherwise, the letter says, “you will no longer be able to use your membership card.”
Shores, 80, had been buying medicines from a mail-order pharmacy in Winnipeg, Manitoba, but now uses Medicare instead. “I was amazed at the amount of money it saved,” Shores said. “It was hard to believe.”
Jack L. Coffey, associate dean of the University of Oklahoma College of Pharmacy, who owns four drugstores, said: “In a majority of cases, I have seen some reduction in costs to the patient. But for some people, their medications will cost them more.”.
Christina Pearson, a spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human services, estimated that 500,000 people could receive notices as part of the “enrollment reconciliation process.”
People have the option of staying in their original plan, but must indicate that desire by calling that insurer. Otherwise, the letter says, “you will no longer be able to use your membership card.”
“We try to reach people in 12 languages, and even then it’s difficult,” Rosenstein said. “We have not received any statistics from the federal government on the number of people who will be affected.”.
“Medicare D is over-promising and under-delivering,” says Ramy Attalla, Director of Communications at ADV-Care Pharmacy. “It offers some benefits but there are serious gaps that Canadian medications can fill beautifully. Patients are discovering that a CANADA + MEDICARE approach can be the best option.”.
“The insurance companies spent all this money on advertising and didn’t spend enough on people to take care of the problems. Not only do I have to wait a long time to talk to someone, I have to find somebody who actually knows what they’re talking about.”
“Our pharmacy doesn’t open until 9 a.m., but I’ve been coming in at 7 a.m. because it gives me two extra hours to talk with the insurance companies,” he said. “I’m also staying late at night.”
“It was written by people who had no idea how this process should work and as a result, it is not working.”
(more…)
Please read the newly created article entitled Medicare Part D Doesn’t Have To Be Confusing, it is quite informative.
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