Want to help your patients understand the Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit? CMS has published a PowerPoint educational resource that can help.
By visiting the CMS Medicare Learning Center and scrolling to "Medicare Rx PowerPoint-Expanded Version," you can download a 55-slide presentation on the new prescription coverage program; a 32-slide version is available by scrolling to "Medicare Rx PowerPoint-Short Version."
The slide show emphasizes that patients must sign up for coverage and describes the various scenarios -- such as deciding whether to keep their employers' retirement health plan or their personally purchased Medigap insurance -- that will affect patients’ decisions. It also discusses what patients should do if they qualify both for Medicare and Medicaid.
The presentation contains other information, such as
- people who miss their enrollment deadline will incur a penalty because the premium rises 1 percent per month for every month the person is eligible but does not join and
- the Part D calendar began Sept. 15, when information was scheduled to be mailed to patients with Medigap insurance; the deadline for current Medicare beneficiaries to enroll in Medicare Part D is May 15, 2006.
