Medicare Handbook Wrong on Premiums In the next few weeks, millions of Americans will be offered the chance to enroll in the new prescription drug program through Medicare. Negotiating the maze of options will be complex and confusing. That`s why I am extremely concerned about the errors contained in the ?Medicare and You? handbook that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recently mailed out to millions of beneficiaries. The handbook erroneously claims that low-income beneficiaries will be able to enroll in any prescription drug plan available in their area without paying premiums. In reality, less than half of the plans will be premium-free. If they follow the information in this handbook, as many as 17 million low-income residents could make a bad choice based on bad information. CMS has indicated that they will rely on insurers, the Medicare hotline, and their website to correct this error and provide accurate information. But beneficiaries who rely on the handbook will assume that the information contained within it is accurate. They will have no reason to think otherwise. Last Friday, the Orlando Sentinel published an editorial calling for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to mail corrections to everyone who received the handbook. You can read the editorial by clicking on this link:
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/opinion/orl-ed07205oct07,0,1517565.story?coll=orl-opinion-headlines I agree with this editorial, and I sent a letter to the administrator of the CMS requesting he take action. You can read the letter by clicking on this link: http://www.billnelson.senate.gov/05jcmederror.pdf At this critical time, beneficiaries need the correct information in hand as they make this important decision about their health care options. In the meantime, I advise all beneficiaries to call 1-800 MEDICARE to verify whether or not a premium will be charged to those who qualify for extra help. Please do not reply to this message. For additional information about Sen. Nelson, visit his website at: http://billnelson.senate.gov Click here: http://billnelson.senate.gov/newpages/newsletter.cfm if you want to subscribe to Bill`s e-mail updates on other issues. If you would like to make a comment regarding this or any other issue, please contact Bill by clicking here:
http://billnelson.senate.gov/contact/index.cfm#email Sen. Nelson`s Washington office is located in Room 716 of the Hart building. He also has offices in Orlando, Tampa, West Palm Beach, Tallahassee, Jacksonville, Miami, Fort Myers and Ft. Lauderdale. | 
