From the CQ Newsroom: Grassley Bill Would Waive Penalty for Late Enrollment in Drug Benefit

One day after the deadline for seniors to sign up for a Medicare prescription drug plan without incurring a late fee, key senators backed legislation to waive the penalty for those enrolling later this year. Finance Chairman Charles E. Grassley, R-Iowa—one of the architects of the 2003 Medicare law (PL 108-173)—introduced a bill, saying he hoped to get a unanimous consent agreement and move it through the Senate. The draft bill would waive the penalty charged to seniors who enroll in a drug plan during the next open enrollment period, which begins in mid-November. It also would authorize $18 million for outreach efforts to help seniors learn about the benefit and be ready to sign up this fall. Read more »

Leavitt Calls Drug Benefit Enrollment 'An American Success'

Against a backdrop of Democratic complaints about the design and implementation of the program, seemingly exhausted but exhilarated Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) officials sought to cast the Medicare drug benefit enrollment process that drew to a close May 15 at midnight as a victory for the American people. "It needs to be noted what a remarkable American experience this was," HHS Secretary Michael O. Leavitt told an afternoon press briefing. "The American people ought to be proud of themselves," he said, calling attention to a wide network of volunteers that helped seniors enroll in the program. Read more »

McClellan Says Preventive Care Next Focus for CMS

With the May 15 Medicare prescription drug plan enrollment deadline over, program officials are gearing up for another major campaign—increasing beneficiaries' use of preventive services, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Mark B. McClellan said. At a luncheon briefing co-sponsored by the Galen Institute and the Council for Affordable Health Insurance, McClellan said CMS officials are now tracking how beneficiaries use the program's preventive services to make sure that beneficiaries who need those services are receiving them. One possible improvement would be to increase screenings for diabetes and heart disease among beneficiaries in minority groups, McClellan said. Read more »

Medicaid Officials Warn Dual Eligibles Could Face More Coverage Disruptions

Coverage disruptions that occurred for "dual eligibles" who were moved from Medicaid to Medicare for their drug coverage could happen again next year, according to interviews with state Medicaid officials conducted on behalf of the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured. Changes in plan options and in the low-income subsidy benchmark premium could result in the need for many duals to select or be auto-enrolled into new plans, raising administrative, fiscal and access issues similar to those encountered when six million duals who had been receiving drug coverage from Medicaid were switched to the Medicare prescription drug program on Jan. 1, according to findings that were released at a Kaiser Family Foundation forum. Read more »

Panel Recommends Removing 'Lock In' Policy for Medicare Drug Plans

A panel of Medicare experts at a presentation touted ending locked-in enrollment in Medicare Advantage plans and allowing beneficiaries to switch plans. At the presentation, hosted by the Alliance for Health Reform, panelists discussed the enrollment numbers for Medicare Advantage plans, the out-of-pocket costs of beneficiaries and proposed changes to the plan. The most discussed recommendation was changing the "lock in" provision for Medicare plans. Under the new Medicare drug law (PL 108-173), Medicare beneficiaries are not able to switch back and forth between drug plans and are locked into one plan for a year at a time. Read more »

QIOS Need Clean Bill of Health Before Broader Role, Grassley and Baucus Say

The leaders of the Senate Finance Committee are urging Medicare to hold off on broadening the role of organizations hired by the program to improve quality of care. Questions about possible financial improprieties involving Quality Improvement Organizations (QIOs) need to be answered before that happens, say Committee Chairman Charles E. Grassley, R-Iowa, and ranking Democrat Max Baucus of Montana. In addition "to these potentially serious problems, there is still a need for more thorough evaluation of the QIOs' effectiveness in improving the quality of health care," the senators said in a May 12 letter to Mark B. McClellan, administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Read more »