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Los Angeles, CA - Today, flanked by area seniors frustrated over the Medicare prescription drug benefit, Congresswoman Hilda L. Solis (Calif.-32), Dr. Hector Luque from Axis Medical Group, pharmacist Michael Ramirez and Horace Williams, president, San Gabriel Valley Pharmacists Association, called on the Bush Administration to extend the penalty-free enrollment period for their new, complex Medicare prescription drug plan. Luque and Williams have been helping local seniors navigate the 47 plans offered in California under the new Medicare prescription drug plan.
“Many seniors are confused by the number of plans and decisions and need more time to pick the best plan for them,” said Solis. “Seniors should not be forced to pay the price for the President’s confusing prescription drug plan. They need to have more time to navigate the complexities of the flawed plan.”
Under current law, seniors who sign up past the May 15 deadline will face a significant penalty – an increase in monthly premiums of one percent for every month past the deadline. If a beneficiary misses the deadline, they will not have the ability to enroll again until November 15.
Enrolling in the new Medicare plan has been especially challenging for seniors in communities of color where English is not their first language and they must not only make the decision of picking a prescription drug plan, but also face the challenge of trying to obtain information in their own language.
“Pharmacies like the Ramirez Pharmacy are trying to do their best under impossible circumstances,” said Solis. “We need to step back and help seniors make sense of this complex program, not penalize them for trying to select the right plan.”
The Congressional Budget Office has estimated that an additional 1.1 million beneficiaries would sign up this year if the penalty were eliminated. In addition, they calculate that eliminating the penalty for this year would ultimately lower premiums for 10 million beneficiaries. Congresswoman Solis is an original co-sponsor of legislation that would extend the enrollment period for the new drug program from May 15 to December 31 (H.R. 3861) and reduce the cost of prescription drugs (H.R. 752). |
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