Medicare's Prescription Drug Plan: Let's Ditch the Penalties

The May 15th deadline has come and gone for seniors to sign up for Medicare Part D, that new, incredibly confusing program that will help them pay for prescription meds. The way things stand now, most folks who missed the deadline will face monthly penalties once they do sign up. The next enrollment period is between November 15, 2006 and December 31, 2006 - with coverage beginning January 1, 2007.

I've seen monthly penalty estimates ranging from an average of $2.31 to $2.50. That doesn't sound like a lot … until you factor it in as an additional, fixed monthly expense … for as long as the person lives! All because of a missed deadline? C'mon, let's cut them some slack.

If you agree that these penalties ought to be axed, you'll be glad to hear that there's talk in both the House and Senate about doing just that. Tell your legislators that you support a penalty-free Part D. It's so easy to drop them a quick email. Just click here

The Deadline Is Irrelevant to Lots of Folks
One of the things that bothers me most about all the Medicare Part D deadline talk is that there are many  people who are still eligible and should be applying now, but may not, because they think they messed up. AARP has put together a list of around a dozen exceptions to the rule, which includes everyone who's become eligible for Medicare since February, 2006. Ditto for folks who move out of their drug plan's service area, be it into or out of a long-term care facility or not. Most important, low-income seniors have until the end of the year to sign up for extra help. When in doubt, call 800-MEDICARE or visit Medicare's site.

Write Quickly
You might want to send that email to your reps sooner rather than later. Congress is about to go off on yet another vacation. While most of us get a day or two days off for Memorial Day, they get a whole week. (That's what they took for St. Patrick's Day, too.)

As The New York Times points out in an editorial, "while they're gone, federal disaster unemployment benefits will start to expire for some 80,000 people still out of work because of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Both houses have only a few days left to extend this much-needed aid. … The average benefit is $104 a week — and that is for people who lost everything and, in many cases, loved ones only nine months ago." You might want to mention this in your emails, too!

In fact, Congress is on track for spending less time in session than it has since Harry Truman complained about the "do-nothing Congress" of 1948, which met for 108 days. I read about this year's estimate - 97 days – in a great USA Today piece by Kathy Kiely.

Hmmm ... maybe we're better off having our elected officials spend less time together in DC. What do you think? Share your opinion in the comments section below.