An expert speaking at an Evanston seminar Monday about changes to Medicare admitted that even she is befuddled by new legislation designed to help seniors afford their medications.
“This is one of the most confusing things I’ve ever seen,” said Terri Gendel, the director of benefits and advocacy at the Suburban Area Agency on Aging.
Confusion about the new law — the Medicare Prescription Drug Improvement and Modernization Act of 2003 — was shared by the crowd of about 70 senior citizens who gathered Monday afternoon at Evanston’s Levy Senior Center, 300 Dodge Ave., to listen to local Medicare experts discuss the changes and their affect on seniors’ ability to pay for their medication.
Although the new Medicare law’s permanent changes, such as allowing Medicare members to buy a private prescription drug plan subsidized by Medicare, will not go into effect until January 2006, temporary provisions of the law already are stirring up controversy.
“This (law) was passed in December, and the argument about it hasn’t stopped,” Gendel said.
Most of the questions center around the establishment of temporary drug discount cards designed to allow seniors to save on drug purchases until the permanent provisions kick in.
More than 28 private companies approved by Medicare are offering 47 discount cards, Gendel said.
“Each of the card sponsors offers different discounts on different drugs at different pharmacies,” Gendel said. “That’s what’s confusing.”
The number of options that the discount cards provide to seniors is overwhelming, said Kris Sadur, outreach program specialist at the Suburban Area Agency on Aging.
“There’s so many programs out there that you really need a scorecard to keep track of them all,” Sadur said at the meeting.
Both Gendel and Sadur said seniors must be willing to ask for help when judging their drug-discount options.
“This is not the time to be shy, this is the time to say, ‘I need help,'” Sadur said. “You need to be your own advocate.”
Medicare may not always offer the best discounts on drugs, Gendel said.
Large discount stores, including Wal-Mart, Costco Wholesale and Sam’s Club, often sell drugs at prices below those provided by Medicare, Gendel said. Sadur encouraged veterans to apply for drug discounts through the Department of Veterans Affairs.
To make matters worse, criminals already have begun to prey on people juggling the drug-discount options, Gendel said.
“The scam artists are already hard at work,” Gendel said. “They’ve figured out all kinds of ways to take advantage of the confusion.”
The seminar stressed that the changes to Medicare are forcing seniors to take a much more active role in their drug payment plans, Glencoe resident Morris Barefield said.
“The meeting was extremely helpful in sharing some of the decisions that need to be made,” Barefield said. “Most of the decisions are individually made.”
Evanston resident Frances Donnelly was thankful that Medicare is not her only option.
“I’m fortunate in that I have a good retirement program,” she said.
