The new Medicare cards are here, but how will they work?
New government-endorsed prescription drug discount cards took effect June 1. Elderly and disabled Medicare recipients are enrolling in the interim drug discount program through 73 Medicare-endorsed card sponsors.
Under the new program, a patient can select a card from providers such as the AARP, drugstores, insurance companies and HMOs. Beneficiaries pay an enrollment fee of up to $30. The program promises savings on at least one drug in each of 209 categories of commonly used medicines.
At press time, how the program -- and its accompanying paperwork -- would be handled in FPs' offices was anyone's guess.
Thomas Felger, M.D., of South Bend, Ind., sat in on a recent presentation on the discount card program given by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, or CMS. He came away uncertain as to the program's myriad subtleties. "What I can tell you is that we are really going to have to tailor medications based on coverage," he said.
"I fear this is not going to be a whole lot of help to our patients, and it might be a logistical nightmare," said Felger, chair of the AAFP Commission on Health Care Services. "Trying to manage differing levels of coverage for an array of drugs will mean more paperwork and could confuse patients."
HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson has hailed the cards as a way for seniors to save money.
"The power to save on prescription drugs is now in the hands of seniors and people with disabilities," Thompson said May 3.
But congressional Democrats are critical of the new card program, partly because it limits patients to one card, thus limiting their choices.
In related news, the discount card program has spawned drug card scams in several states, say officials at CMS and the HHS Office of Inspector General.
In response to these concerns, CMS is coordinating information with customer service representatives, call centers for Medicare contractors and State Health Insurance Assistance Programs.
To reach writer J. Michael Brodie, e-mail mbrodie@aafp.org.
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