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http://www.omniture.com --> Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend May 15, 2006 Drug enrollment deadline nears By Bill kettler Mail Tribune Forgive Dick Heintz if he breathes a sigh of relief tonight. Since November Heintz has been enrolling seniors in Medicare's new prescription drug benefit program, guiding them through the complex computer program that helps them choose the right plan from dozens of options. He knows more about Medicare's new Part D and its myriad details — co-pays, monthly premiums, generic substitutes — than anybody ought to have to know. All that will end at the stroke of midnight, the deadline for the drug plan's first enrollment period. Most seniors won't get another chance to sign up until next November, and they'll pay a penalty for procrastinating in the form of higher monthly premiums for as long as they remain enrolled. "I'm getting calls from people at the last minute," Heintz said Friday. "My popularity has increased, and I'm not sure I need it." As of Friday, about 30 percent of the 547,000 Oregonians who were eligible for the program had still not signed up, and some 8 million people across the United States had not enrolled. Their reasons for sitting out range from fundamental distrust of government to simply not knowing about the program, said Claudia Grimm, program manager for the Senior Health Insurance Benefits Assistance program. "Some just don't like the government," Grimm said. "Others don't want to give the government any more money in the form of the monthly premium. Some people are still dubious because there were so many glitches in the beginning. Others aren't taking any medicines and say 'Why should I pay a premium for Part D?' They're not seeing it as an insurance." In its simplest form, the program works like this: seniors pay a monthly premium to an insurance company to get their medicines. Enrollees must make a co-payment for each prescription and pay some money out-of-pocket usually $250 before the benefit kicks in. Insurance companies pay 75 percent of the next $2,000 in drug costs. If an individual's medicines cost exceed $2,250, he or she must pay the next $2,850. If a senior's annual drug costs exceed $5,100 $250 plus $2,000 plus $2,850 the insurer pays 95 percent of the remainder. Dozens of insurance companies set up programs to enroll seniors. At last count, Oregon seniors had 45 plans to choose from, each with its own monthly premium and a unique list of covered drugs. Many seniors were simply overwhelmed by the volume of choices and lacked the computer experience to make their way through the software program that was designed to help them choose. Many organizations, including SHIBA, set up volunteer networks to help seniors through the maze. Grimm said the volume of calls to SHIBA offices has declined since the enrollment period began in November, but SHIBA volunteers have been spending more time with recent callers because their cases are more complex. "In November the calls were simple and we'd spend 10 or 15 minutes with them," she said Friday. "Now the calls are taking an hour." Seniors who decide to wait until enrollment reopens in November will pay $2.24 extra in monthly premiums for whatever program they eventually choose, said Michael Marchand, a Medicare spokesman in Seattle. The monthly premium will increase by 32 cents for each additional month that a senior fails to enroll. Medicare officials were expecting that today's deadline would prompt many seniors to enroll, and they were preparing for the onslaught by assigning more than 6,000 people to handle enrollments by telephone at 1-800-MEDICARE. Seniors also can enroll with a computer by visiting the Medicare website www.medicare.gov , but the complexity of the computer program requires a high-speed Internet connection to run properly. Marchand said phone lines would remain open until midnight local time. He said last-minute enrollees should make a list of their drugs or bring the medicines with them to the phone along with their Medicare ID number. Many people, including Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski, have asked President George W. Bush to extend the enrollment deadline, but the president has said he supports the deadline. Grimm, the SHIBA manager, said the president's statements make an enrollment extension unlikely. "I'd certainly encourage people to pick a plan before the deadline," she said. Reach reporter Bill Kettler at 776-4492 or e-mail: [email protected] Advertisement s 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 Online Casino Reviews Entertainment Guide --> Online Casino Fundraisers Sudoku Online Casinos Canada Online Pharmacy