Fewer Drug Options for Medicare Part D?

By Jennifer Barrios, Newsday

September 26, 2006

Frances Kaiser hasn't had many problems with her prescription drug coverage - and she hopes to keep it that way.

The 78-year-old New Hyde Park resident is covered by Medicare, the federal medical-insurance program for people aged 65 and over. She gets her prescriptions through Part D, which went into effect this year.

Kaiser said she's heard rumors about Monday, when Medicare will announce which insurance plans will continue to provide coverage under Part D.

For seniors who had drug coverage under a plan that leaves Medicare, it could mean a confusing search for a new provider.

Thousands of seniors on Long Island and across the country scrambled last year to enroll in Part D, which offers voluntary drug coverage with several insurance companies. 

The companies that opt not to participate next year in Part D can drop out, and the people they covered must look for another drug plan.

Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) called it the "October surprise."

"It's a real problem coming down the pike," he said to seniors at the Herricks Senior Community Service Center in New Hyde Park yesterday.

In a letter to the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which administers Medicare, Medicaid and other programs, Schumer asked for more notice for seniors about companies that are ending Medicare coverage at the end of the year.

But Jeff Nelligan, a Medicare spokesman, said few, if any, companies will drop coverage this year.

Seniors under Part D can switch providers during the yearly open-enrollment period, a six-week span at year's end.

Deane Beebe, spokeswoman for the Manhattan-based advocacy group Medicare Rights Center, said seniors who use Part D should examine their plans every year for changes.

"People need to know that your plan might leave, your plan might change your premium," she said. "So now is the time to pay close attention to what it is your plan is offering and realize that now is the time to switch."