July 13, 2004
Contact: Scott Parkin
(202) 479-6975
Access to Benefits Coalition Awards Local Grants
to Encourage Massive Outreach and Enrollment
WASHINGTON – As part of a broad-based effort to reach out to lower income Medicare beneficiaries so that they take advantage of all prescription savings programs now available to them, The Access to Benefits Coalition (ABC) has awarded planning grants to lead organizations in metropolitan areas where the greatest concentrations of Medicare beneficiaries with lower incomes live.
"Local coalitions will create the groundswell needed to meet the
Coalition’s goal of enrolling 5.5 million lower income beneficiaries
in the Medicare-approved drug discount card program and to help them save
hundreds if not thousands of dollars on their prescriptions through taking
advantage of the best mix of public and private programs out there,”
said ABC Chair James P. Firman.
"For Medicare beneficiaries who qualify for the $1200 credit over
18 months the discount card is a tremendous benefit that can make a real
difference in their lives. That makes reaching out to low-income beneficiaries
a high priority for HHS, and we support ABC’s continued efforts
to foster innovative, community-wide strategies to enroll low-income beneficiaries
and get them saving money as fast as possible," said HHS Secretary
Tommy G. Thompson.
The recently launched national coalition of 82 national non-profit organizations has awarded planning grants of up to $7,500 to 27 "catalyst" organizations in 30 targeted metropolitan areas to facilitate convening of local groups and the development of coordinated community-wide outreach and enrollment strategies.
The local Coalitions, many of which should be operational in several weeks, are expected to develop implementation plans that, after review and approval by the national ABC, will make them eligible to receive additional funds to implement those plans.
"We urge local non-profits that work with lower income seniors and
persons with disabilities who qualify for Medicare to connect with these
leading organizations and begin working together to find beneficiaries
savings on prescription drugs," Firman added.
It’s expected that the local Coalitions will make extensive use
of the information on the national Web site (www.accesstobenefits.org)
such as the research into past low-income outreach and enrollment efforts
to design their plans. In counseling lower income beneficiaries, local
Coalition members will also be able to use the state decision guides that
describe the many savings programs often available to low-income beneficiaries
in each state as well as BenefitsCheckUpRx,™ the powerful decision
support tool on its Web site.
After answering a few questions, users of BenefitsCheckUpRx can find out
which prescription savings programs they qualify for, including the Medicare
approved discount card program, pharmaceutical “wraparound”
programs as well as existing state or other company programs for those
with lower incomes.
ABC is a public-private partnership dedicated to ensuring that lower-income
beneficiaries know about and can make optimal use of new Medicare prescription
drug benefits and all other available resources for saving money on prescription
drugs. Coalition members share a commitment to helping Medicare beneficiaries
find the public and private prescription savings programs they need to
maintain their health and improve the quality of their lives. In addition
to the resources of its 81 members, ABC activities are supported by funds
being raised from public and private sources, including government, private
industry and foundations. Chaired by The National Council on the Aging,
ABC is led by a five-member Steering Committee, comprised of leaders from
NCOA; AARP; Alzheimer’s Association; National Alliance for Hispanic
Health; and Easter Seals. Further information is available at www.accesstobenefits.org.
Click here to see the list of local ABC Coalitions.
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