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Skriven 2006-05-09 23:34:42 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (0605093) for Tue, 2006 May 9
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Fact Sheet: Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage
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For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
May 9, 2006

Fact Sheet: Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage


ÿÿÿÿÿ President Bush Discusses Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit ÿÿÿÿÿ In
Focus: Medicare

Today, President Bush Discussed How Signing Up For The New Medicare
Prescription Drug Coverage Program Can Help Beneficiaries Save Money And
Get The Drugs They Need. When President Bush came into office, Medicare was
outdated and not meeting the needs of America's seniors. The Congress
passed, and the President signed into law, legislation to modernize
Medicare by providing preventive care, offering seniors more choices, and
giving seniors better access to the prescription drugs they need.

Prescription Drug Coverage Helps Beneficiaries In Four Important Ways:

 1. Medicare Drug Coverage Helps All Beneficiaries Pay For Prescription
    Drugs, No Matter How They Paid Before. The typical senior who
    previously lacked drug coverage will end up spending about half of what
    he or she used to spend on prescription drugs each year - an average
    annual savings of $1,100.

 2. Medicare Drug Coverage Offers More And Better Choices Than Ever Before.
    Beneficiaries can choose from a number of private plans to find the one
    that best serves them - and plan providers are competing for seniors'
    business. That means seniors can save more and get the coverage they
    want.

      þ The Competition To Serve Seniors Has Been Stronger Than Expected,
        Lowering Costs For Seniors And The Government. The average premium
        seniors pay for their prescription drug benefit is just $25 per
        month instead of $37 per month, and this year the Federal
        government will spend 20 percent less overall on the Medicare drug
        benefit than was projected last July.

 3. Beneficiaries Who Have The Highest Drug Costs Receive Extra Help.
    Medicare will pick up as much as 95 percent of all prescription costs
    once beneficiaries spend $3,600 of their own money each year. This
    catastrophic protection provides peace of mind for beneficiaries.

 4. Medicare Is Providing Extra Help To Low-Income Beneficiaries. About a
    third of seniors are eligible for prescription drug coverage that
    includes little or no premiums, low deductibles, and no gaps in
    coverage. On average, Medicare will pay for more than 95 percent of the
    costs of prescription drugs for low-income seniors. The days of
    low-income seniors having to make painful sacrifices to pay for their
    prescription drugs are coming to an end.

Millions Of Beneficiaries Have Enrolled And Are Saving Money

Millions Have Signed Up And Millions Have Drug Coverage. Of the more than
42 million people eligible for Medicare, more than 31 million people with
Medicare now have prescription drug coverage and hundreds of thousands more
are enrolling each week. Nearly 6 million more have an alternative source
of coverage.

Beneficiaries Who Are Not Yet Enrolled Must Enroll By May 15th For The
Lowest Premiums. More than 85 percent of all eligible beneficiaries now are
either enrolled in Medicare drug plans or have other sources of coverage.
About 5 million eligible beneficiaries have not yet enrolled.
  þ Low Income Beneficiaries Who Qualify For The Limited-Income Subsidy
    (LIS) After May 15 Will Have Extra Time To Enroll. About 3 million
    beneficiaries who have not yet enrolled are eligible for the LIS. A
    one-time opportunity using a special enrollment period will enable
    these beneficiaries to enroll in a Medicare prescription drug plan
    immediately after they become eligible for the limited-income subsidy,
    even if this is after May 15. This one-time enrollment for
    beneficiaries who qualify for the LIS is very different from extending
    the open enrollment period - it simply gives beneficiaries who are
    newly qualified for LIS a one-time opportunity to enroll when they
    qualify.

  þ The Extra Help Available Through The LIS Allows For Comprehensive And
    Valuable Drug Coverage - In Most Cases For Just A Few Dollars For Every
    Prescription. Medicare will also continue to facilitate enrollment in a
    drug plan for people who qualify for the LIS if they do not choose a
    plan on their own.

There Are Three Steps To Getting Drug Coverage Now: 1. Eligible
beneficiaries should make a list of their prescriptions or just gather
their pill bottles. 2. Eligible beneficiaries should make sure they have
their red, white, and blue Medicare card handy to get personalized help. 3.
Eligible beneficiaries should call, go online, or visit one of the many
sources of help available.
  þ Seniors Or Family Members With Questions Can Call 1-800-MEDICARE Or
    Visitwww.medicare.gov. On the Medicare website, it takes most seniors
    about one hour to sign up once they have their information about their
    healthcare needs. The Medicare website has easy-to-use tools to help
    seniors find the plan that best fits their needs. Beneficiaries need
    only their red, white, and blue Medicare cards and their current
    prescriptions. Children of eligible beneficiaries should make sure they
    at least take time to give their parents the benefit of finding out
    what is available.

  þ There Are Many Local And Community Resources To Help Seniors And Their
    Family Members Find The Best Plan To Meet The Specific Needs Of Each
    Beneficiary. Medicare has built an unprecedented effort along with
    thousands of national and local partner organizations including SHIPs,
    Area Agencies on Aging, the National Council on Aging, the NAACP, the
    AARP, disability organizations, church groups, pharmacists and
    physicians. More than 1,000 enrollment seminars are held each week.

The President Is Modernizing Medicare To Focus More On Preventative Care

Part Of Modern, Effective Health Care Is Recognizing That If Diseases Are
Caught Early, The Problem Is Much Easier To Cure.
  þ Every Senior Entering Medicare (Most At Age 65) Is Now Eligible For A
    "Welcome To Medicare" Physical Exam.

  þ Medicare Is Covering Beneficiaries For Annual Screenings That Can Catch
    Illnesses Like Diabetes And Heart Disease.

It Is Time For The Senate To Act On Medical Liability Reform

Junk Lawsuits Are A National Problem Requiring A National Response. The
glut of frivolous lawsuits is driving good doctors out of practice and
driving up costs by forcing many doctors to practice defensive medicine -
ordering unnecessary tests and writing unnecessary prescriptions. The total
cost of defensive medicine to our society is an estimated $60 billion to
$100 billion per year, including $28 billion billed directly to taxpayers
through increased costs of Medicare, Medicaid, VA, and other Federal health
programs.
  þ Last Night, Democrats In The United States Senate Led An Effort To
    Block These Much-Needed Reforms. The President is disappointed that the
    Senate has yet again failed to pass real medical liability reform
    legislation. The President has called on Congress to pass responsible
    medical liability reforms, and the House of Representatives has acted.
    It is time for the Senate to put the needs of the American people ahead
    of the interests of trial lawyers and pass meaningful medical liability
    reform legislation.

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