Tuesday, May 09, 2006
The Sacramento Bee - May 7: It's decision time for an estimated 500,000 Californians who are on Medicare but have not yet signed up for the new prescription drug coverage. They have one week to enroll or face lifelong penalties if they need coverage later."If you don't have other coverage, you should enroll," urged Margaret Reilly, assistant director of California Health Insurance Counseling and Advocacy Program (HICAP) in Sacramento, an unbiased consumer program. "You're going to hurt yourself if you don't enroll," she said.Midnight Monday, May 15, is the deadline. The next chance to sign up will be November. Those who sign up later will pay penalties of 1 percent of the average premium for every month they delay. It can add up quickly. If your health deteriorates two years after the deadline and you enroll in a drug plan then, it will cost you 24 percent more each month.Some elderly or disabled beneficiaries may have decided they don't want the voluntary Medicare benefit, which can cost anywhere from $5 to $60 a month.But advocates are worried that some who need the coverage don't know about the deadline or are befuddled about how to pick a plan. An estimated 25,000 in the Sacramento area may be without drug coverage and need to consider a plan, said Reilly.
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