SYRACUSE, N.Y., Dec. 29, 2005 (PRIMEZONE) -- The Medicare Rx Access Network of New York is reminding all New Yorkers today that the deadline to sign up for the Medicare prescription drug benefit in order to receive coverage starting January 1, 2006, is quickly approaching. All beneficiaries that are eligible for Medicare Part D and would like coverage to start on January 1st, 2006, need to sign up for the benefit by Saturday, December 31, 2005. According to Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt, more than 21 million seniors and people with disabilities will get prescription drug coverage as of January 1, 2006. The number includes more than one million Americans who signed up for the new stand-alone coverage in the first month it was offered to potential beneficiaries. Another 500,000 are expected to be enrolled by the first of the year.
"As an organization representing physicians we are pleased to see that so many people have decided to take advantage of the Medicare prescription drug benefit. As the sign-up period continues through to the middle of May, our physicians will continue to work with their patients to ensure that their patients have a plan that best fits their needs," said Rick Abrams, Executive Vice President of the Medical Society of the State of New York.
Beginning January 1, 2006, Medicare will include a prescription drug benefit that could provide Medicare beneficiaries with savings on their prescription medicines. Medicare covers hospitalization and visits to the doctor, but until now Medicare has not covered prescription drugs. The new prescription drug benefit will offer 42 million people coverage for a wide array of medicines.
Enrollment began on November 15, 2005, and ends on May 15, 2006. Detailed information about prescription drug plans for New York became available in October 2005. Beneficiaries with limited incomes, nearly 700,000 New York citizens, will get extra help and pay little or nothing at all.
The Medicare Rx Access Network of New York is one of 50 state-based programs of the national Medicare Rx Education Network. The over forty member organizations in the state-based Network represent seniors, patients, people with disabilities and chronic diseases, pharmacists, healthcare providers and businesses.
The Medicare Rx Access Network of New York logo can be found at http://www.primezone.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=1950