Medicare’s new complexity should not cause seniors to be penalized

GUEST OPINION

By Rush Holt
   The new Medicare prescription drug program, which opened for enrollment on Nov. 15, already is confusing seniors and raising the possibility that seniors will be penalized if they miss the enrollment deadline. On Nov. 17, I cosponsored The Medicare Informed Choice Act (H.R. 3861), legislation that will extend the enrollment period, allow for flexibility in choosing a drug plan, and protect retiree health benefits for beneficiaries of the new Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit.
   Senior citizens and those with disabilities in New Jersey should not be penalized for missing an arbitrary and unreasonable deadline. Seniors are confused and frustrated with this drug plan because it was designed to meet the needs of drug companies and private insurers, not Medicare beneficiaries. Congress must recognize the problems that beneficiaries are facing, and act quickly to protect seniors from facing unfair complications and arbitrary penalties.
   Enrollment in the Medicare prescription drug program, authorized by the Medicare Modernization Act of 2003, began on Nov. 15 and ends on May 15, 2006. In this six-month period, 42 million Americans are eligible to purchase prescription coverage through a private drug plan or enroll in a Medicare managed care plan that offers a drug benefit. After May 15, beneficiaries will face late enrollment penalties. I voted against the Medicare Modernization Act, partly because the plan was unnecessarily complex.
   Senior citizens and persons with disabilities deserve better than this overly complex and confusing drug plan. The least Congress can do is make sure that beneficiaries have adequate time to assess their options, learn about the plans, and make an informed choice about what best suits their needs.
   Data released by the Kaiser Family Foundation last week show that 73 percent of beneficiaries say having so many choices is confusing and makes it tough to choose a plan, and only 20 percent of seniors report that they will enroll in Part D.
   Congress must ensure that Medicare beneficiaries are aware of and understand their options. Seniors and persons with disabilities should not be assessed arbitrary enrollment penalties because the program that Congress created is unnecessarily complex and confusing.
   The Medicare Informed Choice Act would provide for continuous open enrollment for 2006 and would delay any late enrollment penalties. It also would allow beneficiaries to change their specific plan one time in 2006 without penalty, and would protect some retirees who may be dropped from coverage by their former employer’s drug plan.
   
Rush Holt (D-12) is the U.S. congressman who represents Hopewell Valley.