Medicare Part D Rx plan enrollment re-opens

Coinciding with the opening of enrollment for the third year of the Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit for seniors (Marketletters passim) starting November 15, a new fact sheet, from the California HealthCare Foundation (CHCF) titled: The Medicare Drug Benefit: Changes in California for 2008, outlines several important changes for Part D beneficiaries in the most populated US state. The think-tank concludes that many beneficiaries will experience a jump in their prescription drug premiums unless they switch plans.

Among the CHCF findings, Medicare members in California will have more plans to choose from in 2008, as the total number of Part D plans in the state continues to grow from 200 in the current year to 237 in 2008. Beneficiaries enrolled in stand-alone prescription drug plans will, in most cases, see a sharp rise in their premiums if they remain in their current arrangements, while most people enrolled in Medicare Advantage prescription drug plans will see their total premiums decrease or stay the same. The increase in PDP premiums in California is nearly double the national average (31% versus 17%).

Only half of the 14 plans available to California's low-income Medicare population at no premium in 2007 will still be available next year. The CHCF forecasts that some poorer beneficiaries will have to change plans to avoid paying monthly premiums ranging from $1.20 to $13.10.