For Immediate Release
Contact:
Scott Parkin
202-479-6975
scott.parkin@ncoa.org
Statement on
HHS Support for Education and Enrollment
Efforts for Low-Income Medicare Beneficiaries
by
James P. Firman,
Chair, Access to Benefits Coalition &
President/CEO of The National Council on the Aging
May 27, 2004
I am pleased to be here today on behalf of The Access to Benefits Coalition. We are a coalition of 68 diverse national non-profit organizations, all of whom are committed to assisting low-income Medicare beneficiaries to find significant savings on their prescription drugs.
The Coalition's short-term objective is as ambitious as it is clear: to ensure that by the end of 2005, at least 5.5 low-income beneficiaries get the $600 annual transitional assistance benefit that is now available to them as well as other public and private benefits that can save them money.
The Access to Benefits Coalition applauds the Department of Health and Human Services for announcing an additional $4.5 million to support community-based education and enrollment efforts. Greater involvement by community coalitions and organizations that work with and are trusted by low-income beneficiaries is a critical complement to other HHS initiatives that have been announced previously.
But the goal of enrolling 5.5 million low-income beneficiaries in 18 months is too important and too ambitious to leave to just government agencies. The private sector – voluntary organizations, businesses and philanthropy – must also do their fair share. The Access to Benefits Coalition and its members are prepared to work with the government to maximize the involvement of the private sector at the national, state and local levels in ways that complement and extend governmental efforts.
We believe it's crystal clear that low-income beneficiaries with incomes less than 135% of poverty should get a Medicare-approved discount card and take advantage of the $600 credit. By doing so, most will actually save more than $600 per year because “wrap around” programs offered by companies will mean that many low-income beneficiaries will get their prescription drugs for free or at a very low cost, once they use up the $600 annual credit.
Furthermore, it is important to note that Medicare beneficiaries with modest incomes greater than 135% of FPL are also likely to save a great deal of money through a combination of a CMS-approved discount card and other public and private savings programs offered by states and pharmaceutical companies. It requires more work to find out and enroll in these programs, but it will be worth it for millions of beneficiaries.
In just a few weeks, the Access to Benefits Coalition will announce the details of a broad-based and unprecedented mobilization effort, including grants, new web sites and decision-support tools and grass-roots mobilization programs designed to complement and coordinate with government efforts. We look forward to working together in a powerful public-private partnership to reach out to, educate and enroll 5.5 million low-income Medicare beneficiaries in programs that will save them money on prescription drugs.These companies include: Abbott, Astra Zeneca, Eli Lilly, Johnson & Johnson, Merck, Novartis, Pfizer and Wyeth-Ayerst