No penalty Medicare prescription enrollment

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced a demonstration program allowing certain Medicare beneficiaries to enroll in a Medicare prescription drug plan with no penalty through December 31, 2006.

The program is available for seniors and people with a disability who qualify for the extra help for their Medicare prescription drug coverage, or who live in an area affected by Hurricane Katrina. People who qualify for extra help account for the vast majority of Medicare beneficiaries who

have not yet enrolled in Medicare Part D or do not have other "creditable" coverage.

Individuals who apply and are approved for the lowincome subsidy experience a significant change in status, in particular, they become eligible for very comprehensive drug coverage at low or no cost. With this change in status, they have a special enrollment opportunity to enroll in a prescription drug plan anytime throughout 2006.

The demonstration program is limited to beneficiaries who enroll beginning in June,

2006 through December, 2006. As long as they stay continuously enrolled in a Part

D plan, they will not be assessed a late enrollment penalty. If they disenroll after 2006 and do not have creditable coverage for a continuous period of 63 days or more, they would then incur a late enrollment penalty when they re-enroll in a plan.

[This public service announcement was provided by the Medicine Shoppe Pharmacy of Hiawassee located next to the monte Alban Restaurant.]