**Medicare Check-Up:**

**Administration Launches New Push To Enroll Low-Income Beneficiaries**

**New Effort Aims To Track Down And Sign Up Millions Of Low-Income
People Not Receiving Prescription Drug Coverage.**  \"The Bush
administration begins a new effort Monday to track down and sign up
millions of low-income people on Medicare who are not receiving
prescription-drug coverage.  The Social Security Administration will
start by sending out 500,000 applications to a select group of seniors
age 79 and up. The applications will also target seniors in low-income
neighborhoods, people with disabilities, Hispanics and those who do not
handle their own financial affairs.\"  (Richard Wolf, \"Feds Push To
Enroll More In Prescription-Drug Plans,\" *USA Today*, 6/12/06)

      **The Administration\'s Efforts Will Help Those \"Who Stand To
Benefit The Most From Medicare\'s Prescription-Drug Program -- But Who
Are Most Likely To Have Missed Out On The Coverage.\"**  \"It\'s the
latest in a series of attempts by the government and private groups to
lure those seniors who stand to benefit the most from Medicare\'s
prescription-drug program -- but who are most likely to have missed out
on the coverage. Medicare officials say 38.7 million of Medicare\'s 42.5
million beneficiaries have drug coverage. According to Medicare\'s
estimates, most of those without coverage -- about 3 million of the
roughly 4 million still not part of the drug plan -- have low incomes
and would qualify for extra financial assistance.\"  (Richard Wolf,
\"Feds Push To Enroll More In Prescription-Drug Plans,\" *USA Today*,
6/12/06)

      **\"Low-Income Subsidies Often Eliminate Premiums And Require
Co-Payments Of \$5 Or Less.\"**  \"To qualify, seniors and people who
are on Medicare because of disabilities must have incomes below about
\$15,000 and assets below \$11,500 (\$23,000 for couples), not including
their homes.  Unlike most Medicare beneficiaries, those who qualify for
low-income subsidies can continue to sign up for the program all year
without penalty. For others, the deadline to apply was May 15, and the
next enrollment period doesn\'t begin until Nov. 15.\"  (Richard Wolf,
\"Feds Push To Enroll More In Prescription-Drug Plans,\" *USA Today*,
6/12/06)

**[IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: \"Unexpected Benefit\"]{.underline}**

**Dutko Worldwide Vice Chairman Gary Andres: Medicare Reform May Have A
\"Larger-Than-Expected Positive Impact On American Healthcare In The
Years Ahead.\" ** \"Even with its early success and growing popularity,
some key elements of Medicare reform have received little attention, and
these less understood dimensions may have a larger-than-expected
positive impact on American healthcare in the years ahead.\"  (Gary
Andres, Op-Ed, \"Unexpected Benefit,\" *Daily Standard*, 6/6/06)

 

      **\"Seniors Signed Up In Droves\" For Medicare Coverage. **
\"While enrollment numbers are not yet final, seniors signed up in
droves -- 38 million and counting, according to the Bush administration.
That far exceeded the goal of 30 million originally projected by the
Department of Health and Human Services. That represents 90 percent of
eligible seniors -- a phenomenal enrollment rate for the first year of a
voluntary government program.\"  (Gary Andres, Op-Ed, \"Unexpected
Benefit,\" *Daily Standard*, 6/6/06)

      **\"U.S. Chamber Of Commerce Survey Of Those Participating In The
Early Stages Of The Program Reports That 84 Percent Of Seniors Enrolled
Say They Are Satisfied With Their Coverage.\" ** (Gary Andres, Op-Ed,
\"Unexpected Benefit,\" *Daily Standard*, 6/6/06)

      **Most Voters Support The Addition Of Prescription Drug Coverage
To Medicare.**  \"In an April national survey of 800 registered voters,
conducted by Dutko Worldwide, 76 percent say it was right to \'update
Medicare by adding prescription drug coverage,\' while only 21 percent
believe it was \'wrong to add a costly new benefit.\' These numbers vary
little across either party, gender, or age groups.\"  (Gary Andres,
Op-Ed, \"Unexpected Benefit,\" *Daily Standard*, 6/6/06)

      **Seniors Enrolled In Medicare Drug Coverage Are More Optimistic
About The Prescription Drug Benefit. ** \"And among seniors who have
enrolled, a 60 percent to 21 percent margin says the new drug benefit
will be good for seniors, compared to a 50 percent to 31 percent margin
among seniors who have not enrolled.\"  (Gary Andres, Op-Ed,
\"Unexpected Benefit,\" *Daily Standard*, 6/6/06)

      **84 Percent Of Self-Enrolled Seniors Had No Trouble Signing Up
For A Plan. ** \"A survey conducted by America\'s Health Insurance Plans
finds 84 percent of self-enrolled seniors had no trouble signing up for
a plan; 85 percent have had no problems with the new benefit. And 66
percent say the benefits are worth the time and effort spent evaluating
the available options.\"  (Gary Andres, Op-Ed, \"Unexpected Benefit,\"
*Daily Standard*, 6/6/06)

      **Most Beneficiaries Are Enrolling In Plans With No
Deductible.**  \"Yet as Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
Administrator Mark B. McClellan told Congress recently, 85 percent of
drug-plan sponsors, who are competing for Medicare enrollees, \'chose to
not include a deductible in their plan design, and in fact, most
beneficiaries are selecting plans without a deductible.\' Moreover, many
are choosing plans that include some type of assistance through the
coverage gap.\"  (Gary Andres, Op-Ed, \"Unexpected Benefit,\" *Daily
Standard*, 6/6/06)

      **Market Forces Are Driving Down The Program\'s Cost. ** \"Market
forces are also driving down the cost of the program. McClellan noted in
the same testimony that beneficiary premiums are expected to average
\$25 a month -- down from the \$37 projected last summer. And, \'the
overall cost to taxpayers for 2006 has dropped about 20 percent since
the July 2005 estimate.\' Projected costs over a 10-year period have
plummeted by about \$130 billion.\"  (Gary Andres, Op-Ed, \"Unexpected
Benefit,\" *Daily Standard*, 6/6/06)

*To View The Entire Article, Please Visit*:
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