100,000 on board for state's SeniorCare

Doyle urges more residents to apply to program for lower-cost prescriptions

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
May 9, 2006

Madison - Enrollment in the state's SeniorCare program has jumped to more than 100,000, even with the rollout of the federal Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit, and more people should consider applying to Wisconsin's plan, Gov. Jim Doyle said Monday.

That uptick in participants compares with about 81,280 SeniorCare enrollees in May 2005. The state now averages 243 applications a day, up from 68 a day a year ago, state officials said.

"While a few seniors in the lowest income brackets fare better under Medicare Part D than they do under SeniorCare, many middle-class families are finding that SeniorCare is the right choice for them," Doyle said.

SeniorCare is a state Medicaid program that provides cheaper prescription drugs to low-income older adults.

Doyle also joined U.S. Reps. Ron Kind (D-La Crosse) and Tammy Baldwin (D-Madison) in calling for an extension of the May 15 deadline for Part D applications, saying confused residents need more time to sort out their options. A bill before Congress would extend that deadline.

U.S. Rep. Mark Green, a Green Bay Republican challenging Doyle for governor, also supports extending the deadline, said Green spokesman Luke Punzenberger. Green supports Medicare Part D, he said, but because of early problems people had enrolling, many who could benefit from it might not have signed up yet.

"Extending the enrollment deadline will help ensure more seniors can put this program to use and start saving on their prescription drugs," Punzenberger said in an e-mail.

Seniors must be enrolled in a Part D plan by May 15 or face higher prices when enrollment opens again in November.

As of April 18, 483,430 Wisconsin residents were enrolled in a Medicare Part D program, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, which administer the federal program.

Frustration cited Potential enrollees have been frustrated by how difficult it has been to get information about the federal program, Doyle said. He pointed to a recent report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office that found promotional materials to be confusing and some information provided by the telephone hotline to be inaccurate.

For months, Doyle has encouraged eligible residents to sign up for the Wisconsin prescription drug plan. He said Monday that it is a "lifeline" that is more beneficial and less confusing to many participants than the federal plan.

Doyle struck an agreement with U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt to allow SeniorCare to co-exist with the federal benefit through mid-2007. SeniorCare's future is unclear after that, but Doyle said enrollees won't be penalized if they eventually move to a Medicare Part D plan.

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