Black lawmakers and clergy are using fact and faith to sign up seniors for Medicare prescription coverage as the enrollment deadline nears.

Although black seniors are not signing up for Medicare Part D at a slower rate than other groups, blacks are at greater risk for many health problems and should enroll in greater numbers, members of the Georgia Legislative Black Caucus said at a news conference Friday.

"We need to talk to Big Mama and ask, 'Have you signed up?' That's how we can make things happen," Sen. Valencia Seay, D-College Park, said.

Sign-up for Medicare Part D began in November. The first deadline to pick a plan is May 15. Those who fail to register by the deadline face penalties. The new feature offers insurance coverage for prescription drugs through plans under Medicare, the federal health insurance program for the elderly and disabled.

Traditionally, Medicare paid hospital and doctor bills, but not for prescription drugs - a crushing cost for many older Americans. Medicare Part D was added in 2003.

Government officials have been trying to boost participation nationwide before the deadline. Some of their efforts have targeted blacks and Hispanics, who together represent one out of every six Medicare beneficiaries.

The NAACP has been a partner, courting Bill Cosby and other celebrities to help promote the program and inviting Medicare officials to send their Part D promotion bus to black churches. NAACP officials said they think the drug benefit is flawed, but still will be a help to poor and disabled seniors.

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt is to visit Atlanta on Sunday. He'll be making a morning appearance at Ebenezer Baptist Church to raise awareness about Medicare prescription drug coverage, U.S. health officials said.

Caucus chairman Rep. Stan Watson, D-Decatur, called Part D the single biggest change in the 40-year history of Medicare and said more than 4 million blacks and seniors across the country are eligible to participate. Watson could not say how many black Georgians have yet to enroll.

The Rev. Darrell Elligan, chairman of Concerned Black Clergy of Metropolitan Atlanta, said education, awareness and assistance are key to participation. Member churches will make the plea among their congregants on the two Sundays preceding the deadline.

"The older we get, the less likely we are to respond to change," Elligan said. "But this change is major, and it's major to our seniors. We believe in the influence and the voice of the clergy, and we're using that to make sure seniors take advantage of this program."