GAO-06-1053R Financial Restatement Database

On Jan. 1, 2006, Medicare began providing coverage for outpatient prescription drugs through its new Part D benefit. Beneficiaries who enroll in Part D may choose a drug plan from those offered by private plan sponsors under contract to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Serv. (CMS), which administers the Part D benefit. Beneficiaries have until May 15, 2006, to enroll in the Part D benefit & select a plan without the risk of penalties. This report reviews the quality of CMS's commun. on the Part D benefit. This report: examined 70 CMS publications to select 6 documents to review & evaluate the clarity of these texts; made 500 calls to the 1-800-MEDICARE help line; & evaluated the usability of the Medicare Web site. Illus.

To help the elderly and disabled with prescription drug costs, the Congress passed the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement and Modernization Act of 2003 (MMA), which created a voluntary outpatient prescription drug benefit (Medicare Part D). A key element of the prescription drug benefit is the low-income subsidy, or ¿extra help,¿ available to Medicare beneficiaries with limited income and resources to assist them in paying their premiums and other out-of-pocket costs. To assess the Social Security Admin¿s. implementation of the subsidy, this report provides info. on: (1) the number of applicants approved for or denied the low-income subsidy; and (2) challenges of identifying individuals eligible for the subsidy and targeting outreach efforts.

GAO-06-139R Medicare: CMS's Beneficiary Education and Outreach Efforts for the Medicare Prescription Drug Discount Card and Transitional Assistance Program

GAO-06-710 Medicare Part D: Prescription Drug Plan Sponsor Call Center Responses Were Prompt, but Not Always Accurate