SignOnSanDiego.com > News > Business -- Prescription for chaos seen in drug ads: "Medicare enrollees will be flooded with pitches
By Sarah Skidmore
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
October 1, 2005
Beginning today, Medicare enrollees can expect an onslaught of television, mail and telephone advertising from insurers that want to sign them up for the new Medicare prescription drug program.
'They are going to be deluged,' said Deane Beebe, spokeswoman for the Medicare Rights Center, an independent organization that helps seniors with Medicare.
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Medicare beneficiaries can begin signing up for the program Nov. 15, but today is the first day insurers can advertise their plans directly to consumers. The prescription drug benefit is the biggest change to the program since its creation in 1965.
It's a potential windfall for insurers, according to analysts. But consumer advocates say seniors will have a difficult time cutting through the marketing to make an important decision about the voluntary program.
Anyone on Medicare is eligible for the prescription drug benefits. That's roughly 4.3 million people in California.
The federal government selected which companies would offer the plans, which vary state by state. In California, 18 companies will offer stand-alone prescription drug plans, and 19 companies will offer drug coverage through a Medicare managed care plan, which provides additional benefits.
New Medicare
drug benefits
The program benefits begin Jan. 1, 2006. Initial enrollment runs from Nov. 15 to May 15. If a beneficiary does not sign up during this time, their costs will go up. For more information:
The Medicare Web site: www.medicare.gov
Medicare hotline: 1-800-MEDICARE
California Health Insurance Counseling and Advocacy Program, a nonprofit organization, at www.calmedicare.org or (800) 434-0222
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said the competition helps control costs "
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