Medicare-approved Prescription Drug Discount Card Medicare D Prescription Drug Coverage Kathee Tifft Family and Consumer Sciences The Situation: Thirteen percent of Idahoans are age 65 and older. That number is expected to double as Baby Boomers become senior citizens. In some rural Idaho communities elderly residents are a major portion of the population. The sky-rocketing cost of health care, the solvency and continuation of Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and private pension benefits will impact Idahoan’s financial security. Mid-life adults, seniors and their adult children are requesting educational programs to prepare and cope with later life challenges. Our Response: University of Idaho Extension received a grant to design and implement Medicare-approved Prescription Drug Discount Card outreach from November 2004 through June 2005. Educational outreach for the Medicare D Prescription Drug Coverage was continued into 2006. Nez Perce County Extension developed an awareness campaign with paid radio, television and newspaper ads, as well as public service announcements, to increase understanding about the resources available and to provide recipients support in decision-making and enrollment. 14,390 seniors in Nez Perce, Lewis, Latah, Idaho, and Clearwater counties needed to make a choice for a prescription drug benefit or face a 1% penalty for each month they were eligible and did not enroll. Several educational events and one-on-one counseling sessions were held throughout the north central Idaho area to try and address this need. Medicare-approved Prescription Drug Discount Card Seventy-one percent of people ages 65 and older report difficulty paying the escalating costs of their prescription drugs. For those who take several medications daily, the struggle to pay for prescriptions forces them to choose between paying for medications or groceries. In 2004 seniors and people living with disabilities became eligible for a prescription drug benefit through the federal Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act (MMA). The benefit enabled Medicare recipients to save up to 65% on the cost of their medications. Low-income Medicare recipients were also eligible for a prescription drug credit of up to $600 in 2004 and another $600 in 2005. Many
residents of rural communities do not have the resources, tools or support needed to make decisions and successfully enroll in the program. In December 2004, with the Nez Perce county portion of the UI Extension CMS grant, a mass media campaign was designed which focused on increasing awareness of and education about the new Medicare Drug Card. Public Service Announcements were written and sent to 25 local and regional media outlets including newspaper, radio, television, and internet. An underlying goal of the Medicare Drug Card was to transition millions of beneficiaries into the new Medicare Part D program. Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage (Part D) Beginning January 1, 2006, Medicare prescription drug coverage became available to all people with Medicare. The first enrollment period for the new voluntary Medicare plan was November 15, 2005 through May 15, 2006. Medicare offers insurance coverage on prescription drugs through Medicare drug plans. Insurance companies and other private companies approved by Medicare provide these plans. Since mid-November 2005, some 260 companies have been wooing the nation’s 43 million Medicare beneficiaries to sign up for the program’s new prescription drug benefit, known as Part D. Idaho citizens are 193,351 of those beneficiaries. The FCS Extension Educator partnered with SHIBA Coordinator Penny Wilhelm once again to help beneficiaries understand the impact the new Medicare D Prescription Drug Coverage will have on their health care coverage and finances. A rural outreach effort of workshops and oneon-one counseling was implemented. Medicare D education marketing brochures were designed and mailed out with workshop dates, times and facilities to 544 NCIA addresses. Enrollment clinics and one-on-one counseling was offered December 2005 in Moscow and Kamiah, December 2005 and January 2006 in Kooskia, and May 2006 in Cottonwood and Orofino. In order to continue to offer education in rural communities during annual enrollment each year from November 15th through December 31st, two laptops with wireless cards and a portable printer were purchased with funds from the National Council on Aging. Program Outcomes: Idaho drug discount card and Medicare D enrollees used their savings to purchase other necessities, thus improving their well-being and the economic vitality of their communities.
Cooperators: Idaho Department of Insurance LCSC Outreach Sites St. Mary’s Hospital The Future: Having supported north central Idaho families through the transition and implementation of this new government program, I now serve in an agency referral role by connecting seniors with our local Social Security, RSVP and Department of Insurance offices.