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Email Story to a Friend January 15, 2006 Glitches in Medicare drug plan frustrate seniors By JOHN DARLING for the Mail Tribune Insurance agents fielding calls from angry seniors who can’t use their Medicare prescription drug benefit say they hope the glitches will be worked out within the next few weeks. Herstle Jones, a Medford agent with Health Net, said his firm is processing almost 200 applications for Medicare Part D plans every week and it’s "opened the floodgate" with all carriers. "They just don’t have enough manpower," he said. "When you call the carriers, they’re in a frantic situation and you’re just a number. "What I’m telling people is call your agents and have them go to bat for you." Millions of seniors nationwide have signed up for the prescription drug benefit, but many have not yet received their identity cards or are being told their information is not in the computer. When pharmacists have no way of verifying their information, seniors are forced to pay the full price for their medications in cash. Advertisement "They’re not honoring what we signed up for," said Sonia Herrick, 71, of Jacksonville, referring to Health Net, her insurer. "They should have been prepared for this. They haven’t given us anything. I’m paying $86 a month for coverage and when I go to the pharmacy, they say they have no record of me in the database and we have to pay the normal prices." Getting certified for health insurance normally takes two or three weeks, so this kind of logjam isn’t surprising considering the number of seniors who have signed up, said Sally Densmore of Densmore Insurance & Financial Services in Medford. The Wall Street Journal reported last week that about 1 million seniors had signed up for the benefit so far. "It’s a horrible time now and a lot of clients can’t afford it and are hurting," Densmore said. "Carriers should have made a cutoff of mid-December to allow for this. Some people filed in the first and second week of December and still haven’t got their cards." Densmore said insured clients will be reimbursed for money paid out of pocket for medications, and she encourages clients to make sure they save and submit receipts. "It (the logjam) should calm down by the end of the month. It’s been all Mondays since the first of the year," said Densmore, referring to the arduous process. Jones said agents will help clients with reimbursements. "It’s a huge responsibility for carriers, but they’re very reputable and are getting the job done. When the smoke clears, they’ll be caught up and everyone will be happy." Even some seniors who do have ID cards are finding problems with their plans. Donna Lee Norvell, 74, of Jacksonville, wrote a "steaming" letter to her carrier canceling her policy after paying more than twice what the company told her it would cost for her blood pressure medicine. "The pharmacist said I was enrolled and that’s what the insurer told him to charge me," Norvell said. "I’ve got my letter of certification, but this is not what’s on the list of prices. They’re not paying any attention to that. I called the company for five days and got a busy signal, then was put on hold for 17 minutes and finally hung up." John Darling is a freelance writer living in Ashland. E-mail him at [email protected]. Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2006 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback www.bingo.com Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker Custom Build Computers Discount Hotel Reservations --> online casinos news Ashley Furniture HomeStore Send Flowers California Casinos GMAT Prep Windermere Van Vleet Sports Equipment Entertainment Guide --> Online Casino Fundraisers Sudoku Online Casinos Canada Online Casino Reviews Advertisement s