Medicare Beneficiaries Mull Options for Drug Coverage
Depending on their county of residence, seniors in the state might have up to 118 choices for private Medicare Part D prescription drug coverage, KPCC's "The California Report" reports.
Consumer advocates recommend that seniors seek assistance through counseling programs and online comparison tools, adding that higher premiums do not always mean better coverage.
Insurers said that pricing is competitive and that the cost of the program is running below federal projections.
The segment includes comments from:
- Mohit Ghose, a spokesperson for America's Health Insurance Plans;
- Chris Perrone of the California HealthCare Foundation's Market & Policy Monitor program;
- Kevin Prindiville, a staff attorney for the National Senior Citizens Law Center in Oakland;
- A representative from the Health Insurance Counseling and Advocacy Program in San Francisco; and
- A Medicare beneficiary (Sun, "The California Report," KPCC, 11/29).
Audio of the complete program is available online.
KQED's "This Week in Northern California" on Friday is scheduled to include a report on Medicare drug benefit offerings for 2008 ("This Week in Northern California" Web site, 11/30).
Additional details about the segment are available online. Broadcast information is available on the program's Web site.
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