ICA NEWS!
For Immediate Release
October 21, 2005
The new Medicare Part D, authorized by Congress to provide prescription drug benefits for the nation's aging population, will take effect on January 1, 2006.
Starting this October, beneficiaries have been inundated with information about the specific plans available in their area. On November 15, beneficiaries can start enrolling in the Medicare drug plan of their choice. For coverage to begin on January 1, 2006, enrollment has to occur prior to December 31, 2005. If enrollment occurs after May 15, 2006, beneficiaries may be faced with increased monthly premiums.
ICA is urging all members to help educate Medicare beneficiaries in their practices to avoid being needlessly stampeded into managed care plans, and to avoid the many scams that are reportedly already operating, looking to victimize elderly patients. No Medicare beneficiary has to enroll in a managed care plan to obtain drug coverage. That option does exist, but it is not a requirement.
To access the new benefit, Medicare beneficiaries have two options:
Medicare beneficiaries do not have to enroll in Part D; participation is voluntary. If beneficiaries have good coverage elsewhere, they may not need it. No one can be excluded or charged higher premiums for health reasons or pre-existing conditions. Benefits are tied to the beneficiary's income, so that those with smaller incomes may qualify for additional coverage.
The Part D benefit is not free. It has been estimated that the average monthly premium in 2006 will be $32.00. Plans also vary and there are many competing companies authorized to provide this benefit on Medicare's behalf. In the State of Michigan alone, 17 general plans and 9 managed care plans are marketing to consumers, creating great confusion and concern among senior citizens.
Above all, ICA urges all Medicare beneficiaries to study the options closely, ask questions, especially regarding the availability and terms for accessing chiropractic care through any managed care plan, and to remember: no one has to enroll in a managed care plan to obtain the new drug coverage. Medicare law provides that all authorized benefits must be available, whether a beneficiary uses Part B, in which one can choose any provider for care, or Part C, the managed care option. While all benefits are required to be available, the record has shown that access to chiropractic care in Medicare managed care plans has been somewhat more difficult, and beneficiaries are strictly limited in their choice of doctors of chiropractic to providers “approved” by the managed care plan managers.
Additional information on the new drug benefit program can be obtained from the federal government on the official Medicare website at :
http://www.medicare.gov/medicarereform/drugbenefit.asp
or from the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) at 1-888-687-2277, or on-line at:
http://assets.aarp.org/www.aarp.org_/articles/health/medicare_d_full.pdf .
ICA is also strongly cautioning senior citizens to be very careful in considering claims, promotions and invitations to enroll in Part D plans, especially from telemarketers. NEVER give out personal information or credit card numbers over the telephone, and always confirm with trustworthy resources, including your doctor of chiropractic, that a plan is, in fact, a legitimate entity. Beneficiaries should be especially wary of any marketing effort urging them to sign up before November 15, 2005 since legitimate plans are not eligible to do so until that nationally mandated start date.
As a natural health science, chiropractic offers senior citizens, as well as patients of all ages, a drug-free alternative approach to health, with a proven record of clinical effectiveness and safety. Chiropractic's drugless approach to health, through improvement in spinal mechanical and neuro-efficiency, along with natural life style choices, offers great cost savings to Medicare and to individual patients. Equally important, however, in an environment in which half of all emergency room presentations by Medicare beneficiaries are related to complications from their prescription drugs, chiropractic offers significant and unique public health benefits no other health profession can provide.
Watch ICA 's website at www.chiropractic.org for more updates on this important new health issue.
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