Despite the criticism the federal government has taken on the fledgling Medicare prescription drug program, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced last week that it anticipates smooth sailing for beneficiaries in 2008.
"A top priority throughout the fall open enrollment season has been to help beneficiaries prepare and compare their plan choices so that they could make informed decisions about switching plans," said Kerry Weems, CMS' acting administrator. "In addition, we've been working hard to ensure a smooth enrollment process."
According to Weems, CMS has taken several steps to ensure that pharmacies obtain accurate enrollment information in 2008, particularly for low-income beneficiaries. The agency has improved procedures for getting accurate plan information into the computer system used by pharmacists to identify beneficiaries who are enrolled, and CMS also has implemented better processing requirements for all enrollees.
The Dec. 28 CMS announcement follows criticism of the Part D program last fall by the Alliance for Health Reform, the Commonwealth Fund and other experts who said the program is still plagued with access issues for the most vulnerable populations and too much complexity for seniors to understand.
However, CMS contends that its own surveys show that most of the 40 million seniors enrolled in the Part D program are happy with it.
According to Weems, CMS also has worked aggressively to ensure a smooth transition for low-income, subsidy-eligible beneficiaries in 2008. Efforts have included some 10,000 events nationwide in 2007 to educate seniors about Part D. In addition, a mobile CMS education office visited 128 communities across the country in 2007.
"Our educational efforts are paying off, and we will continue to provide information and assistance throughout 2008," Weems said.
CMS reports that it has enrolled more than 347,000 beneficiaries in Part D since November 15 and has fielded more than 3 million calls from beneficiaries on its customer service hotline. In addition, thousands of pharmacies have helped beneficiaries through in-store informational days, medication reviews and community presentations.