Medicare D round two: Patients will have questions; here are answers

Beneficiaries might seek advice on re-enrollment, drug formularies and medication choices.

By David Glendinning, AMNews staff. Nov. 13, 2006.

Washington -- As the Medicare drug benefit approaches the end of its first year, program officials are encouraging beneficiaries and their physicians to gear up for the next one.

Medicare's open enrollment period will start Nov. 15 and continue through Dec. 31. During this time, Medicare beneficiaries who are not receiving the benefit can sign up and those who are already enrolled can change their drug plans.

Consequently, it is likely to be a time when doctors receive more inquiries than usual about plan options, drug formularies and medication choices from Medicare patients. In many cases, the primary care physician is the person who will field these questions first, federal officials said.

Here are some of the general questions physicians may encounter.

Patients confused about whether they need to re-enroll might ask their physicians about it. Beneficiaries who are already in Part D automatically will be signed up for the same plans for 2007 if they do nothing, said Jeffrey Kelman, MD, chief medical officer at Medicare's Center for Beneficiary Choices.

Relatively few seniors will discover that their plans have been discontinued. These beneficiaries will receive notices instructing them to find new plans and sign up before the end of the year to ensure seamless drug coverage. Seniors who were eligible for Part D last year but decided to hold off on joining also must go through the plan selection process if they want to receive the benefit in January 2007.