Barbara Boxer: “last Tuesday the open enrollment period for the Medicare Part D prescription drug program began. This program has been…”

“last Tuesday the open enrollment period for the Medicare Part D prescription drug program began. This program has been praised by the administration as a great benefit for seniors, but I can tell you that seniors are not so sure. According to a survey conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation, only 20 percent say they will sign up. Over one-third say they won't, and the rest don't know what they are going to do. One thing we do know for sure is that seniors are confused and scared. I have received over 4,000 letters from them telling me so. And why wouldn't they be. They have a series of complicated decisions to make. First, they have to decide whether they want drug coverage. Do they already have drug coverage that is better or just as good as what is offered under the plan? And if they don't, do the costs of the plan exceed the benefits? And what will happen in the future? Should they sign up now to avoid the penalty for signing up late? Second, if they do decide to join the program, what plan do they choose? In California, 18 companies are providing 47 stand-alone prescription drug plans. These plans all have different premiums, copays, and lists of drugs they will cover. For those in managed care plans, if they choose one of the stand-alone drug plans instead of their managed care plan, they will lose their health coverage. In addition, seniors must make sure that their neighborhood pharmacy accepts the plan.…”