Is your 22-year-old, disabled, Medicare-eligible patient required to sign up for Medicare Part D prescription drug coverage? Not necessarily, say Medicare officials.
Under Medicare Part D regulations, most Medicare-eligible patients must enroll in a Part D prescription plan by May 15, 2006. If they miss that deadline, their premiums will rise 1 percent per month for every month they are eligible but not enrolled.
However, Medicare-eligible patients do not need to enroll in the Medicare Part D prescription program if they have "creditable coverage" under another health plan, according to Jamie Tyler, a Medicare counselor at CMS. That caveat allows disabled patients to postpone enrolling in Part D until they retire without having their Part D premium rise by 1 percent per month each month they are eligible but not enrolled.
A creditable plan is any health care plan that offers prescription coverage that is at least as good as that offered under the Part D prescription program.
With its focus on elderly patients, much of the Medicare Part D education effort focuses on people who qualify for Medicare as a result of their age. However, young disabled people also receive Medicare benefits as secondary coverage to their employer-sponsored plans. Others may be covered through insurance held by their spouse or parents. As a result, they may not plan to enroll in Part D for a number of years.
