Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 23, Number 3, 1 Malaki 2006 — Calling all kūpuna: have you signed up for Medicare Part D? [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Calling all kūpuna: have you signed up for Medicare Part D?

Dante Keala Carpenter TrustEE, O'ahu

Aloha mai kākou. For kūpuna and all the brave souls that have eome forward to take on Medicare Part D, take a deep breath and don't give up yet! To better understand this new prescription drug benefit created by the Medicare Modernization Act that began in January 2006, the following information may be helpful: Medicare Part D is a voluntary prescription drug coverage insurance program that covers brand name and generic prescription drugs from participating pharmacies in your area. If you have Medicare, you are eligible for this coverage; The enrollment period for Medicare Part D prescription drug benefits began Nov.l5, 2005, and will continue until May 15, 2006. Seniors who haven't signed up for a plan by May 15, 2006, must wait until the next enrolhnent opportunity, whieh is Nov. 15 to Dec. 31, 2006, and they may be subject to a premium penalty; Medicare Part D is a prescription drug coverage insurance program. Therefore you will pay a monthly premium, whieh ean be deducted from your monthly social security eheek. The premium amounts vary depending on the plan you select. A premium is the monthly cost you pay to join a Medicare drug plan; Depending on the plan you select, you may also have to pay a deductible. A deductible is the amount you pay for your prescriptions before your plan starts to share in the prescription costs. For 2006, no plan may have a deductible more than $250. There are also plans that have no deductible; Eaeh plan has its own copayment/coinsurance. This is the amount you pay for your prescriptions after you have paid the deductible. Again, plans vary. A copayment is a set amount, and coinsuranee is a percentage of the cost of any prescription; A list of drugs that a Medicare drug plan covers is called a formulary. You will want to make sure that the prescrip-

tion drugs you need are included in the formulary of the plan you select; If you are a Medicare/Medicaid beneficiary and did not voluntary sign up for a specific prescription drug program, one was automatically selected for you. Call the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services at 800-633-4227 to verify your plan information; It's no shame to ask for kōkua. Medicare Part D is no small decision to make! Ask a member of your family or friend to help you navigate through the Medicare Part D application process. Sage PLUS is another state organization that ean help. Call them at 586-7299 on O'ahu and 888-875-9229 on the neighbor islands. Or eall our knowledgeable staff here at OHA to guide you to available heakh and/or kūpuna organizations to assist you. Available to kōkua you are our lead advocate for heahh, Analika Nāhulu, and our heahh specialist, Kathryn Keala; If you have access to a computer, the Medicare website at www.medicare. gov is very informative. Otherwise eall 1-800-MEDICARE to speak to a Medicare representative. The Medicare website provides you with the opportunity to compare drug plans that are available to you. Have your Medicare card, list of prescription drugs and names of preferred pharmacies available to begin the comparison process either through the website or by phone; and If you have limited resources and live on a limited ineome, you may qualify for assistance to pay for your drug plan. Call Medicare, Sage PLUS or OHA to get more information. There are many resources available to assist our kūpuna, but the word needs to reach the kūpuna. I urge everyone who knows a kūpuna to ask if they've signed up. If they haven't, please kōkua and them or tell their 'ohana to get involved. Time passes quickly and the deadline will soon be here. No kūpuna should have to go without proper medication or pay outrageous amounts for prescription drugs wkh Medicare Part D. As always, my staff and I invite your conunents on the above or any other eoncerns within our purview. My OHA access numbers are: phone 594-1854, fax 5940210 and e-mail dantec@oha.org. Mālama pono a hui hou. □

LEO 'ELELE • TRUSTEE M ESSAG ES