Groups Announce $10M Education Campaign for Medicare Drug Benefit
The National Council on Aging and the Access to Benefits Coalition on Tuesday announced a $10 million education campaign to help seniors considering enrolling in the Medicare drug benefit, CQ HealthBeat reports.
Pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca provided the initial $10 million grant for the project and urged other drug makers to join in the effort. The program, called "My Medicare Matters," will include dozens of trained counselors who will attend about 5,000 events in 27 states to educate beneficiaries.
Beneficiaries also can access a Web site for more information (CQ HealthBeat, 11/22).
In related news, CMS said it will provide prescription drug subsidies in 2006 to about 9,000 Massachusetts Medicare beneficiaries who were mistakenly classified as dual eligibles and received a letter saying they were eligible for the additional assistance, the Boston Globe reports (Krasner, Boston Globe, 11/23).
State officials gave CMS incorrect data, the Boston Herald reports (Heslam, Boston Herald, 11/23).
A letter signed by CMS Administrator Mark McClellan stating that the beneficiaries would begin receiving subsidized coverage was sent to the 9,000 beneficiaries earlier this month.
CMS spokesperson Helen Mulligan said, "All the people who received the letters indicating they were eligible for subsidized drug coverage will, in fact, get that subsidized drug coverage, unless they don't want to" (Boston Globe, 11/23).
Additional information about the Medicare drug benefit also is available online.