New Democrat Coalition Introduces “Choice for America’s Seniors Act”

WASHINGTON, DC-- Today, twenty-five members of the New Democrat Coalition (NDC) introduced the “Choice for America’s Seniors Act – HR 5116.”  With the May 15^th deadline looming, seniors are being forced to choose from anywhere between 40 and 100 prescription drug plans offered under the newly enacted Medicare Prescription Drug Law.  “Only 27 out of 42 million eligible seniors have signed up for a prescription drug plan.  As the May 15^th deadline quickly approaches, it is clear that seniors need more time to choose.  Denying them this much needed time forces them to rush a critical decision and does seniors a disservice. ” said NDC Chairwoman Ellen Tauscher (D-CA).  The selection process has been both confusing and overwhelming for America’s seniors, prompting many seniors to ask for more time to make this crucial decision.  This bill would extend the enrollment period by six months – from May 15, 2006 through November 14, 2006.  Given that the enrollment period opened November 15, 2005, this legislation provides a full year to make an informed decision about which plan is right for them. “While the prescription drug law needed a dramatic overhaul, this new legislation would give seniors additional time to process the complications in the current plan," said NDC Co-chair U.S. Representative Artur Davis (AL)  "The bill will also guarantee that once seniors pick a plan, they will not be subjected to unfair surprises regarding the medications available to them.”

In addition to extending the deadline, the bill would ensure that once seniors have selected a plan they won’t have to worry about drug coverage consistency.  Plans would be prohibited from removing a drug from their formulary except during the annual open enrollment period.  Under the proposed legislation, if a plan does change its formulary, it must provide notice three months before the change will take effect so seniors will have sufficient time to decide whether to continue with that plan or switch to a new one.  Furthermore, seniors would be allowed to change plans once during the year, outside of the open enrollment period, if they discover that the plan they had previously selected is no longer adequate.  Due to the number of complications seniors are experiencing and will continue to experience with this process, this provides them with an additional safety net. "Since the original intent of the Medicare Part D law was to expand prescription drug choices for seniors, it makes sense to allow seniors the continued freedom of choosing the plan that best serves their prescription drugs needs," said NDC Co-Chair Rep. Ron Kind (D-WI).  "As currently designed, Part D locks seniors into a single plan; leaving them vulnerable to fluctuating drug costs or formulary changes that could deny them coverage.  The Choice for America's Seniors Act would give seniors the ultimate choice by allowing them the freedom to reevaluate their options on a yearly basis and protecting them from harmful benefit changes."  

The NDC wants to provide seniors with the time to choose the prescription drug plan that is right for them, and to make sure that the plan they choose delivers the consistency that seniors need. “Our senior citizens need the extra safety nets provided by this legislation,” said NDC Co-Chair, Adam Smith (D-WA). “Many of our seniors are dependent upon various prescription drugs and they are often on a fixed budget. They should have the flexibility that if a prescription drug is going to be removed from their plan, not only should they be notified in advance, but they should also be given the time to study the various plans available to them and be allowed to change plans to fit their needs. This is a commonsense approach.”  For the full text of the legislation please visit http://www.house.gov/tauscher/ndc/

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