Saturday, Dec. 24, 2005 | 7:29 a.m.
Medicare beneficiaries are curious about -- but hesitant to sign up for -- the new prescription drug plans that take effect Jan. 1.
Las Vegas Valley beneficiaries, like many folks nationally, say the Medicare Part D prescription drug plans are confusing, complicated and nerve-racking.
Most of the Medicare beneficiaries -- people age 65 or older and people under 65 with permanent disabilities and end-stage renal disease -- are willing to share their sentiments about the process of selecting one of the 44 Part D plans available in Nevada, but they differ on whether they will sign up by the May 15 deadline.
Signing up for a Part D plan is voluntary, but Medicare beneficiaries who sign up after May 15 could face higher premiums, especially those who do not have other drug coverage that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has deemed "creditable' -- meaning it is at least as good as Medicare's basic requirements.
"It's all just confusing. It's terrible. We have no idea what to do," Henderson resident Aurora Yowell said. "They say it's the golden years. There's nothing golden about this."
The 66-year-old said President Bush isn't concerned by the chaos caused by the drug program because taxpayers pay his medical bills.
Yowell has prescription coverage for her blood pressure medicine through a Sprint retiree health plan, but Sprint is canceling that coverage as of Dec. 31. Companies like Sprint are being offered about 28 percent in annual tax breaks to maintain retiree drug coverage, but they are not obligated to maintain coverage.
Yowell described the abundance of Part D options as nerve-racking and said that's why she wanted to enroll in a plan Thursday. She met with a Nevada State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) counselor to review which Part D plan would best meet her prescription needs.
"If you don't sign up you're S.O.L.," Yowell said, adding that she would likely save a little bit of money with a Part D plan.
Her 71-year-old husband, Lyle, said he would save about $78 a month for his seven prescriptions on the Part D plan he signed up for.
Henderson resident Doris Greenroos, 80, and her 79-year-old husband, Dave, disagree on whether to sign up for a Part D plan.
"You have to have coverage because drug prices are so high," Greenroos said. She takes five or six medications for allergies, her thyroid and other conditions.
"I think it's much too complicated," she said of the Part D enrollment process. "Without this help from the (SHIP) volunteers and the computers, we wouldn't know what to do."
On Thursday, she signed up for a Part D plan that will cost $6.42 per month and cover her prescriptions. But her husband opted not to sign up for a plan for his thyroid medicine.
"I don't think I need it," he said.
"I don't think he can afford not to," Greenroos disagreed. "For $6.42 a month, then he would have coverage in case of a catastrophe."
Marilyn Wills, director of the Nevada SHIP office, said she and her colleagues have been swamped with calls from Medicare beneficiaries.
She said the phone rings nonstop and that her office is opening a call center to answer calls more quickly. The center is expected to be open in about two weeks.
"They have till May 15, so they don't need to go into any kind of panic," Wills said. "This is the time to do some research."
That's what many Medicare beneficiaries seem to be doing. CMS reported Thursday that more than 1 million people nationally had signed up as of Dec. 13 for a Part D plan, which provides drug but not health coverage.
In all, 42 million Americans and 200,000 Clark County residents are eligible for Medicare. More than 10 million Americans currently have no or little drug coverage.
Part D providers say they too are inundated with inquiries.
In fact, the Nevada SHIP office is so busy it is opening a second call center to accommodate people who have questions about their Medicare coverage.
"We've had more activity of people calling and asking for materials than we expected," PacifiCare Health Systems spokesman Tyler Mason said. "People are taking their time. Seniors are doing their research and looking at their options.
He said some Medicare beneficiaries remain confused by the plans, but others understand and are enrolling.
Las Vegas-based Sierra Health Services said it too is seeing mixed results.
"The number of auto-enrolled (people on Medicare and Medicaid who are automatically enrolled in a Part D plan if they do not choose one) is progressing much better than anticipated,( Sierra spokesman Peter O4Neill said. "The number of voluntary enrollees is much slower than anticipated. We're seeing what everyone else is seeing -- seniors are confused about the products and are being bombarded with options.
"What we have found is that the seniors are staying on the sidelines for the moment," he said, adding that enrollment will likely pick up in the coming months.
Michelle Swafford can be reached at 259-2326 or at [email protected].
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