Despite recent survey findings that show 80 percent of the 24 million seniors enrolled in Medicare Part D are satisfied with the program, the Senate Finance Committee has concerns that vulnerable low-income seniors are not getting coverage and other problems still hinder the ultimate success of the program.
In the second of two congressional oversight hearings held this month to examine Medicare Part D, Senate Finance Committee Chair Max Baucus (D-Mont.) said May 8 that he has concerns about inadequate data sharing between private plans and federal agencies.
"The left hand is not talking to the right," Baucus said.
Baucus attributed the problems to "a pattern of poor administrative planning and said he is also concerned that Medicare Part D plan administrators answer more to their stockholders than to Medicare seniors.
"We're here today to find out why problems are occurring and what the plans are doing to fix them," Baucus said. "And we are here to determine what the Committee needs to do to ensure that the benefit is serving all seniors."
Of particular concern, Baucus cited "administrative mix-ups" related to federal withholding of Social Security checks to pay for prescription drugs for low income seniors, causing "uncertainty and hardship for many."
Baucus was also concerned with reports of seniors having difficulty getting answers to their questions about Part D.
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, said he plans to use the information gathered at the hearings "to provide a solid foundation for the committee's consideration of improvements to the program."
Abby L. Block, Director of the Center for Beneficiary Choices at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) called Part D "the single most important benefit addition in the history of the Medicare program" and said that CMS has worked hard "to find and fix problems."
"With ongoing effort and vigilance, I am confident we will see continued high levels of plan compliance with program requirements, along with significant improvements where necessary on this critical front."
Kathleen King, director of Health Care for the United States Government Accountability Office (GAO) said CMS's enrollment procedures generate challenges for seniors who are eligible for both Medicaid and Medicare. A majority of new dual-eligible beneficiaries have difficulty getting their prescription drugs for up to 5 weeks after their enrollment.
Federal law requires CMS to enroll Medicare beneficiaries in a prescription drug plan if they do not select a plan on their own. CMS enrolled about 5.5 million dual-eligible beneficiaries in late 2005 and about 634,000 beneficiaries who became dually eligible during 2006, according to King.
A 71-page GAO report, titled Medicare Part D: Challenges in Enrolling New Dual-Eligible Beneficiaries, was released in conjunction with King's testimony.