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National Committee Endorses the "Medicare Informed Choice Act"
September 22, 2005
The Honorable Fortney H. Stark
239 Cannon House Office Building
Washington , DC 20515
&
The Honorable Janice D. Schakowsky
1027 Longworth House Office Building
Washington , DC 20515
Dear Representative:
On behalf of the 4.6 million members and supporters of the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, I am writing to endorse the Medicare Informed Choice Act.
The new prescription drug benefit that takes effect in January could involve the most important and yet most difficult decisions many seniors will face. It will implement a brand new benefit that no one has historical experience with, and for many seniors will involve an investment of a significant portion of their resources.
One of the many weaknesses of the law is its failure to provide a comprehensive, uniform benefit structure to all participants. Seniors in most areas will be confronted with multiple plan choices, and will be required to weigh, not only which drug plan best suits their needs, but in the case of Medicare Advantage Plans, which comprehensive menu of health services provides the best collection of benefits. These options will vary by region, making the selection process even more complicated.
The National Committee believes it is important to reduce the anxiety seniors will be facing when attempting to understand this new drug benefit, and to maximize their ability to make the choices that are best for them. For these reasons, we applaud your proposals to delay late enrollment penalties and to allow every beneficiary to change plans once during their first year of enrollment. These provisions are the minimum Congress can do to make sure seniors are not forced into making a quick decision that places them in a plan that does not adequately meet their needs. The third provision in your bill will also protect beneficiaries that mistakenly sign up for the new Part D benefit even though they have superior coverage through a former employer.
We believe Congress has a responsibility to ensure that seniors receive the most value possible out of this new drug benefit, and this responsibility includes removing provisions that could force seniors into making inappropriate plan choices. For this reason, we urge all Members to support the Medicare Informed Choice Act.
Cordially,
Barbara B. Kennelly
President and CEO
The National Committee is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that acts in the interests of its membership through advocacy, education, services, grassroots efforts and the leadership of the board of directors and professional staff. The work of the National Committee is directed toward developing a secure retirement for all Americans.