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Rather Fight than Switch
December 21, 2006 • Volume 6, Issue 50With a little over one week left until they are locked in for 2007, a new survey finds that very few people with Medicare are switching from their current Part D prescription drug plan. The poll, conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Harvard School of Public Health, reveals that 66 percent of people enrolled in Part D will stick with their current plan in 2007.
Before we conclude that the plans must have done a top-notch job this year to retain so many loyal customers, it’s important to recognize that many people are staying put not because they are perfectly happy with Part D. For many, it is simply not worth reliving the hassle and headaches of last year’s enrollment process.
As a separate Kaiser report shows, most people currently enrolled in Part D are not looking at other plans for better coverage because, after enduring months of confusion and difficulties, they have gotten used to their plan and fear that a new plan could leave them worse off. Despite struggling with high costs and numerous problems getting needed coverage this year, many people just want to stay with what’s familiar to them by now.
That’s not surprising, considering that selecting a plan that covers one’s drugs without hidden restrictions and at a reasonable cost has proven to be a daunting task. The same poll also found that almost three-quarters of older adults think that the current drug benefit is “too complicated.”
Many other individuals may be choosing not to switch because they don’t realize that their plan’s formulary is changing or that their costs will go up next year. An advertisement from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) placed in Parade magazine advised, “If you’re satisfied with your current cost, coverage and the customer service you receive, you don’t need to do anything.”
In addition, many plans have not sent their members information about changes to their coverage in 2007 in time for them to research an alternative. Other plans have failed to send any notice of benefit changes at all. And the material that is provided often buries important details about premium increases or formulary changes under massive amounts of technical information. Some plans are also quietly dropping coverage in the “doughnut hole” next year without properly alerting enrollees. With so many plans not being upfront about changes in price and coverage, it’s no wonder people have decided to just stick with what they had this year.
People with Medicare, and American taxpayers, deserve better than this. We should not resign ourselves to a system that relies on deceptive marketing to maintain customer loyalty. We should not be satisfied with a program that leaves a quarter of its participants struggling to get coverage for the medicines they need and provides scant or no savings for almost half of its enrollees. The solution isn’t switching among Part D plans run by for-profit insurance companies. The answer is to fight for a sound, simple drug benefit provided directly by Medicare. That is the choice people with Medicare want. Next year, that is the choice Congress should enact.
Medical Record
“The Pappadopoulases began looking for a new option when their plan, Humana Complete, sent a letter informing them that Proscar, an expensive drug that Angelo needs to keep his enlarged prostate in check, would no longer be covered next year…After reviewing their options, the Pappadopoulases left the [Connecticut Choices program] bus with their heads spinning. They planned to call several other coverage providers and crunch the numbers, still hoping to find an affordable plan that meets their needs. But Angelo said he may simply stick with the old plan—and pay for the Proscar out of pocket if necessary. ‘It’s still better,’ he said, ‘than paying the retail price’ for the other drugs” (“Drug Plan Dizziness,” Hartford Courant, December 20, 2006).
“Importantly, when asked about the 2007 open enrollment period for Part D, most [study] participants say they did not intend to reassess their Part D plan options; few were even considering evaluating other Part D plans or switching to a different plan, even if they experienced problems with their current plan in 2006. For some, their satisfaction with their current coverage explains their desire to maintain the status quo. Others see little distinctions among plans or fear being worse off if they switch plans, even if they are not entirely satisfied with their current plan. Many study participants feel overwhelmed and somewhat anxious by the magnitude of information and marketing materials, and seem content to ‘make do’ with what they have rather than shop around for another plan” (“Voices of Beneficiaries: Medicare Part D Insights and Observations One Year Later,” Kaiser Family Foundation, December 2006).
“If you’re satisfied with your current cost, coverage and the customer service you receive, you don’t need to do anything.” (Official Medicare Announcement, Department of Health and Human Services, November 2006).
Two-thirds of seniors favored allowing seniors the option of receiving drug coverage directly from Medicare. Only 12 percent said Part D is working well and no real changes are needed (“Seniors and the Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit,” Kaiser Family Foundation, December 2006).
***** The Medicare Rights Center (MRC) needs to hear about all the problems with the Medicare Part D benefit, whether they happen to you or someone in your community. With this information, we will be armed with the needed evidence to push for a Medicare-administered drug benefit.
Fast Relief: Part D Monitoring Project
Submit your story at www.medicarerights.org/partdstories.html
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The Louder Our Voice, the Stronger Our Message Asclepios — named for the Greek and Roman god of medicine who, acclaimed for his healing abilities, was at one point the most worshipped god in Greece—is a weekly e-newsletter designed to keep you up-to-date with Medicare program and policy issues, and advance advocacy strategies to address them. Please help build awareness of key Medicare consumer issues by forwarding this action alert to your friends and encouraging them to subscribe today.
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