Excerpt: Medicare officials expected hordes of seniors to sign up when they introduced the discount cards in May 2004. But people were slow to apply. Many discovered they would not save much by enrolling; others found cost comparisons and application forms too confusing. "And some people didn't even try to find out if they would get a discount," Toni Cortez, program manager for the Health Insurance Counseling and Advocacy Program for Fresno and Madera counties, says. "They didn't want to bother; it was too much work."

MORE...

Those failing to apply for discount cards include low-income seniors who could receive $600 in prescription drug credits, the counselors say.

The lack of interest in the cards may bode ill for Medicare's prescription drug benefit, which rolls out in 2006. Under the drug benefit plan, all Medicare beneficiaries will be able to enroll in prescription plans that will pay for a portion of their drugs.

The discount cards are a stopgap to help seniors with drug costs until the prescription drug plan goes into effect.

Cortez say the discount-card application process has been simplified and they're available to help seniors compare savings. In some cases, the cards can cut prices from 10% to 25% on selected drugs for an enrollment fee of about $30 a year. Silveria says low-income seniors should take advantage of the discount card this year.

A $600 drug subsidy is available in 2005 to single people whose 2004 income is below $12,569 and to married couples with income below $16,862.

Silveria believes about 10% of the elderly in California may qualify for the drug credit. But only about 1% to 2% of those eligible have taken advantage of the discount card program.

The discount cards save low-income seniors money, Cortez says, and anyone who qualifies for the $600 subsidy should apply.

But the benefit becomes less clear for seniors with higher incomes.

"For some, it has been a good deal for them," Cortez says. "But it was a disillusionment or disappointment for others."

Many seniors found a Medicare-approved card saved them less than they received from the California Prescription Drug Discount Program, says Julie Bennett, a HICAP outreach coordinator in Santa Rosa. Bennett says anyone with a Medicare card can get the same discount that the state of California receives from pharmacies that accept Medi-Cal, the federal-state insurance program for the poor, elderly and disabled.

Cortez says some seniors simply are waiting until 2006 to enroll in Medicare Part D, the prescription drug benefit plan.

She expects the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to begin marketing the prescription drug plan this year.

She's getting ready for her phones to begin ringing once seniors become aware of the prescription benefit and that they face making an enrollment decision.

Says Cortez: "We're gearing up for that."

Source: The Fresno Bee