Part D Enrollment Begins
Starting last month, Medicare beneficiaries began enrolling in prescription drug plans as part of the new Medicare Part D benefit that will begin on Jan. 1. Beneficiaries who enroll in drug plans by the end of this year can begin receiving benefits on Jan. 1, but individuals who haven't made up their minds can continue to enroll until May 15, 2006. As the enrollment period kicked off last month, the health insurance industry was optimistic. Karen Ignagni, president and CEO of America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP), said its member health plans were seeing higher than expected numbers of calls from Medicare beneficiaries with questions about the plans. And the questions are specific, with beneficiaries asking about drug availability, which pharmacies are participating in plans, and how much their out-of-pocket expenses will be with a plan, Ms. Ignagni said at a press conference. She recommended that Medicare beneficiaries who are evaluating different prescription drug plans consider five issues: Do they have drug coverage now? What drugs do they take? Do they purchase drugs from a particular pharmacy? How much will they pay in out-of-pocket costs for a particular plan? And, finally, do they want to stay in traditional Medicare and choose a separate drug plan or switch to a Medicare managed care plan that includes prescription drugs, physician services, and hospital care?
Groups Sue Over Part D
Countless numbers of poor men and women “will fall through the cracks” during the transition to the new Part D drug benefit, medical groups stated in a lawsuit against the federal government. More than 6 million “dual eligible” patients—those who are enrolled in both Medicare and Medicaid—lost their Medicaid drug coverage on Jan. 1. The groups said that they're seeking protections for patients who are not seamlessly and immediately transitioned to the new drug program. “The poorest, sickest, and oldest Americans face grave risk of losing their life-saving medications once the clock strikes twelve on New Year's,” said Robert M. Hayes, president of the Medicare Rights Center, a national consumer service group and one of the plaintiffs. In particular, those beneficiaries who are cognitively impaired or have only a high school diploma will have problems mastering the complexity of the new drug benefit, the lawsuit indicated. A spokesman with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said that the agency was not commenting on the pending lawsuit.
New Head for FDA Women's Health
Kathleen Uhl, M.D., has been named director of the Office of Women's Health at the Food and Drug Administration. Dr. Uhl, a family physician and a captain in the U.S. Public Health Service, most recently served as a supervisory medical officer in the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. “Kathleen brings a breadth of professional experience, as well as a strong science background and passion for women's health, to her new position,” said FDA Acting Commissioner Andrew von Eschenbach, M.D. Dr. Uhl's experience includes clinical practice, basic science and clinical research, drug application review, drug safety oversight, and women's health issues. She also holds dual faculty appointments at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in family medicine and internal medicine.
Patients Satisfied Despite Cost
Most Americans remain satisfied with the quality of their health care despite rising health care costs, according to a survey from the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI), a nonprofit group that disseminates data on employee benefits. “Satisfaction with health care quality is high, but few are happy about the cost of health care,” EBRI President Dallas Salisbury said in a statement. “Beyond that, the survey appears to confirm the notion that Americans tend to leave cost out of the equation when considering health care quality.” Almost 6 in 10 Americans who were surveyed were extremely or very satisfied with the quality of medical care that they receive. However, only 28% were satisfied with the cost of their health coverage. The survey revealed a difference of opinion between lower and higher income patients about quality of care. Those with household incomes under $35,000 a year were less than half as likely as those with incomes of at least $75,000 to describe the health care system as excellent or very good. The survey represented telephone interviews with 1,003 individuals aged 21 and older.
Improving Uncompensated Care
Hospitals have established more generous uncompensated-care guidelines for uninsured patients after a torrent of publicity about aggressive hospital billing and collection practices and a series of lawsuits alleging that hospitals overcharge these patients, the Center for Studying Health System Change (HSC) reported. The study is based on HSC's 2005 site visits to 12 nationally representative communities. “In every HSC community, most hospitals have either recently changed their pricing, billing, and collection policies or tried to improve the clarity of the information provided to patients,” said HSC research analyst Andrea B. Staiti, coauthor of the study. For example, it is now common for hospitals in the 12 surveyed communities to provide uncompensated care to uninsured patients with incomes less than 200% of the federal poverty level, and to offer sliding-scale discounts for patients with incomes up to 400% or 500% of the poverty level.