Annual Medicare Prescription Drug Enrollment Period Is Halfway Over, Deadline Is December 31st

WASHINGTON, Dec. 1 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Medicare Prescription Drug Part D annual enrollment period is nearly halfway over - running from November 15 to December 31, 2008. The open enrollment period is an opportunity for seniors to change the prescription drug program under which they are currently enrolled or for those not enrolled in a Part D plan to enroll.

A national campaign launched by Medicare Today, a project of the Healthcare Leadership Council, aims to raise awareness about Medicare Part D, a federal prescription drug coverage program designed to provide greater access to prescription drugs for Medicare beneficiaries, and its upcoming open enrollment period for seniors. The campaign also highlights the high satisfaction rates among seniors currently enrolled in Part D plans.

On December 4, Healthcare Leadership Council president Mary Grealy and former U.S. Senators John Breaux (R-LA) and Trent Lott (R-MS) will be available to tell your listeners more about the Medicare drug benefit, the open enrollment program and the findings of the new senior survey.

Who:

    •       Senator John Breaux, retired Louisiana U.S. Senator, and former Chairman of National Bipartisan Commission on the Future of Medicare
    •       Senator Trent Lott, retired Mississippi U.S. Senator, former Senate Majority Leader, Republican Whip
    •       Mary Grealy, President, Healthcare Leadership Council (HLC)
    •       Mike Freeman, Executive Vice President, Healthcare Leadership Council (HLC)

When: Thursday, December 4, from 7:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. EST

To schedule an interview please contact Katheryn Cofone.

Why: In these turbulent economic times, seniors should take care to annually review their Medicare prescription drug plan, compare it to other available plans and choose the plan that best suits their needs. Plans are available for all budgets. Unfortunately, not all eligible seniors have enrolled in the program. There are many informational resources available to the seniors who wish to enroll.

Prior to passage of Medicare Part D, millions of Medicare beneficiaries lacked coverage for their prescriptions. Today, 39 million of the 44 million Medicare beneficiaries now have prescription drug coverage, and as of January, 2008, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid reported over 25 million beneficiaries get their prescription coverage specifically through Medicare Part D.

    CONTACT:  
    Katheryn Cofone
    (202) 778-1479
    Kcofone@apcoworldwide.com

SOURCE Medicare Today