In less than three months an estimated half a million people with developmental disabilities will transition from Medicaid prescription drug coverage to Medicare's new prescription drug coverage. Now, there is a way to find the answers to the many complex questions.
Ensuring Continuity of Care for Dual Eligibles: A Guide to Transition From Medicaid to Medicare's Prescription Drug Coverage is now available at http://www.theDesk.info/PartD. This guide was developed by the Disability Policy Collaboration, a partnership of The Arc and United Cerebral Palsy and the Web-based tool was developed by TheArcLink Incorporated.
For more than six million dual-eligibles, their Medicaid prescription drug coverage will end as of December 31, 2005 and be replaced on January 1, 2006 by the new Medicare Part D coverage, provided by private prescription drug plans (called PDPs). The new Web-based tool addresses complex questions, such as:
- Who is a Dual Eligible? Find the answer by clicking here.
- Is Medicare prescription drug coverage voluntary? Can a dual eligible decide not to participate in it? Find the answer by clicking here.
- What are the key differences between Medicaid prescription drug coverage and the new Medicare Prescription Drug Plans (PDPs)? Find the answer by clicking here.
- What are the key things to think about when choosing a PDP? Find the answer by clicking here.
What you should do: Visit the Web site at http://www.theDesk.info/PartD, download the PDF copy of the guide, and develop an understanding of this information, which is vital to transitioning dual eligibles from Medicaid to Medicare's new prescription drug coverage.
Please forward this bulletin to constituents and encourage affiliated organizations to post a link to http://www.theDesk.info/PartD on their Web sites.
