Avoid Bush Administration's “Medicare Prescription Drug Plan Finder,� Consumer G

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Avoid Bush Administration's “Medicare Prescription Drug Plan Finder,†Consumer Group WarnsCategory: Medicare/Medicaid NewsArticle Date: 26 Oct 2005

The Medicare Rights Center is warning people with Medicare, their caregivers and professionals who assist them, to avoid using the internet based “Medicare Prescription Drug Plan Finder†that the Bush Administration launched earlier this week. “The tool is misleading at worst, useless at best, until it includes accurate information about what medications are covered by the drug plans,†said M. , president of the Medicare Rights Center, a national consumer service group. “Obviously.†Drug plans will cover different drugs and have different premiums, deductibles, cost-sharing requirements, and prior authorization rules, Mr. said. Perhaps the most important consideration for a patient is whether a drug plan covers the medications the patient needs. But the Drug Plan Finder offers no information to a patient on what drugs specific plans cover or what a consumer will pay for those drugs, Mr. said. “The Medicare Rights Center, like community organizations across the country, has recruited volunteers who are ready to help older Americans better understand this drug benefit,†said Mr. . “Our phones are ringing off the hook, but without the promised tools like the Drug Plan Finder, the Administration is compounding the frustration of volunteers and consumers alike. The Medicare Rights Center also warns that another Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services tool, the “Formulary Plan Finder,†is not much help either. This web tool lets users enter the medications they take and see which plans cover them, but it does not tell them how much the consumer will pay for the drugs under the various plans. Additionally, the consumer group warns that the “Medicare Prescription Drug Plan Cost Estimator†is extremely misleading. The savings it estimates is based on the lowest premium in the region, does not take into account if the drugs are covered in that lowest premium plan or what the cost sharing for each drug will be. “The structure of this benefit could not be more unfriendly to consumers,†said Mr. . “These false starts in helping people navigate the benefit make it worse.†The Medicare Rights Center is the largest independent source of health care information and assistance in the United States for people with Medicare. Founded in 1989, MRC helps older adults and people with disabilities get high-quality, affordable health care. For more information about MRC, call 212-204-6219, or visit the MRC web site: http://www.medicarerights.org.

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