Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries, their caregivers and family members can now review 2009 Medicare prescription drug plans and health plans online through the Medicare Prescription Drug Plan Finder and Medicare Options Compare.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' 2009 Plan Finder allows beneficiaries to compare prescription drug coverage from both stand-alone Prescription Drug Plans (PDPs) and Medicare Advantage (MA) plans that provide prescription drug coverage (MA-PD plans) and view premiums, formularies and availability of coverage in the gap. The 2009 Medicare Options Compare tool also allows beneficiaries to compare Medicare health plan options, such as HMOs and PPOs.
"Some beneficiaries may see significant premium increases or changes, such as reduced coverage in the gap, if they stay in the same prescription drug plan in 2009," said CMS Acting Administrator Kerry Weems. "Yet, almost 97 percent of beneficiaries enrolled in a stand-alone prescription drug plan (PDP) will have access to Medicare drug and health plans in 2009 whose premiums would be the same or less than their coverage in 2008."
Plan Finder offers to help beneficiaries search drug plans for the best price and coverage, including estimated out-of-pocket costs, pharmacy networks and Medicare news and updates. CMS has added a feature to allow beneficiaries to view estimated monthly mail order drug costs in a bar chart, which can be compared to retail drug costs.
CMS officials anticipate that the Plan Finder site will average close to one million page views per week, similar to the volume experienced last year. For the 2008 plan year, more than half a million people enrolled online, a 49 percent increase over the number who enrolled online for the 2007 plan year. More than 5.8 million people with Medicare have enrolled online in a drug plan since the program began.
"In addition to urging beneficiaries to explore their options now, I want to assure seniors that the marketing of 2009 plans will be under tough, new marketing requirements from CMS," said Weems. "These requirements are intended to protect Medicare beneficiaries from deceptive or high-pressure marketing tactics by insurance companies and their agents. We are broadening our oversight of plans, including expanding our 'secret shopper' program."
The annual open enrollment period for Medicare and Medicaid begins November 15 and runs through December 31. Beneficiaries who wish to enroll for the first time or change their coverage for 2009 should do so by early December to ensure a smooth transition in the new plan year.