Seniors seeking advice, counselors crunching numbers and politicians pleading for deadline extensions are all scrambling as part of the late rush to register those eligible for prescription drug coverage under Medicare’s Part D before Monday’s midnight deadline.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said Wednesday morning that 37 million of the 43 million disabled and elderly Americans covered by Medicare have signed up for prescription drug coverage since Nov. 15. According to numbers released by the department, more than 310,000 people in the Washington metro area had enrolled.
The process of choosing a plan is an algebraic stew of annual qualifying incomes, monthly premiums, yearly deductibles and per-drug co-payments. Those who miss Monday’s deadline will not be eligible to register for drug coverage again until Nov. 15. At that point, Medicare says people “may” face at least a 6 percent penalty increase in premium costs as well as a 1 percent increase for every month beyond November that they wait to join.
The complexity of the situation has forced some seniors to delay their decision, according to several counselors.
“A lot of it is confusion and misunderstanding,” said Merry Dawson Bown, who has helped Alexandria seniors enroll since January. “I try to explain it as many times as necessary so they understand it because it’s their program, not mine. They’re the ones who have to live and use it.”
A Washington-based health insurance association spokesman said that despite glitches in the system, millions of older Americans have navigated through Part D’s decision process.
“We need to look at this program as a sea change in the way America provides and takes care of its seniors,” said Mohit Ghose, spokesman for America’s Health Insurance Plans. “It’s almost belittling to our nation’s seniors to be saying to them, ‘You can’t figure this out. You need more help.’ ”
Jim Hoffman, a retired carpenter, called the process “all hogwash” at a Medicare meeting with Congressmen Steny Hoyer and Ben Cardin, both Maryland Democrats, earlier this week. The politicians had come to Hoffman’s senior apartment complex in Waldorf to speak about their unsuccessful efforts to appeal for an deadline extension.
Hoffman said he enrolled in January with AARP after his union insurance cut his drug benefits.
“I got it at the first of the year so I knew I was on the right track,” Hoffman said. “I don’t feel that they’re going to go out of business and they’re the most secure.”
Metro enrollment
Medicare Part D prescription drug enrollment for the Washington metro region as of Wednesday:
Maryland
» Montgomery County: 79,928
» Prince George’s County: 60,692
Virginia
» Alexandria: 9,025
» Arlington: 13,480
» Fairfax City: 2,522
» Fairfax County: 71,496
» Prince William County: 16,936
District of Columbia: 56,311
Total enrollment: 310,390
Resources for Medicare Part D help
» Medicare: Call 800-633-4227 anytime or visit www.medicare.gov.
Maryland
» Montgomery County Senior Health Insurance Assistance Program: Helps seniors make lists of their prescription drugs and choose the most effective plan. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Friday at 21 centers around the county. Call 301-590-2819 anytime to make an appointment or visit www.medicarehelp.org.
» Prince George’s County Senior Health Insurance Program: Educates seniors about prescription plans. 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday. Call 301-265-8471.
Virginia
» Virginia Insurance Counseling and Advocacy Project in the City of Alexandria: Comprehensive counseling assistance to help assess and, if needed, assist in enrolling in Medicare Part D. 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Friday. Call 703-838-0920 for an appointment.
» Arlington Agency on Aging: Offers one-on-one sessions for seniors. Call 703-228-1700.
» Virginia Insurance Counseling and Assistance Program through Fairfax Area Agency on Aging: Phone counseling services. Call 703-324-5851 anytime.
» VirginiaInsurance Counseling and Advocacy Program/State Health Insurance Program in Prince William County: Call 703-792-7662.
District of Columbia
» George Washington Law School Health Insurance Counseling Project: In-person and telephone counseling. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Friday. Call 202-739-0668.
