Prescription Drug Benefit

Prescription Drug Benefit: ANCOR Part D Web Resources

• Beneficiary Calendar
• CMS Regional Contacts on Medicare
• Excluded Medicare Drugs by State Medicaid Programs
• State Specific Information About the MMA
• State Health Insurance Assistance Programs (SHIP)
• Part D Implementation Timeline
• Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Plan Finder Tool
• CMS Demo of Prescription Drug Plan Finder Tool
• ANCOR Provider Guide to Implementation of Medicare Part D for Dual Eligibles
  • ANCOR's 18-page document, separate Q&A and updated resource listing are available in the Members Only >> Documents of Interest section. Non-members may purchase the document by placing a request to ancor@ancor.org)
  • CMS "My Health. My Medicare." (September 2006)

General

• Kaiser Fact Sheet: State-Level Medicare Part D Plan and Beneficiary Characteristics (June 2007)
• Kaiser Issue Brief on the Impact of Part D on Dual Eligibles Who Spend-Down to Medicaid (June 2007)
• Revised CMS Medicare Part D Auto-Enrollment (March 14, 2007)
• NGA Recommendations to CMS on Medicare Part D (February 12, 2007)
• Kaiser: Early Experiences of Medicare Part D Beneficiaries (August 2006)
• CMS Releases PDP Call Center Data (June 29, 2006)
• CMS Steps to Increase PDP Compliance (June 29, 2006)
• Med Pac Report on Increasing the Value of Medicare (June 2006)
• Kaiser Report: The “Clawback:” State Financing of Medicare Drug Coverage (June 2006)
• Navigating the Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Coverage Program (June 7, 2006)
• Kaiser Fact Sheet: Low Income Assistance Under Medicare Part D (May 2006)
• NEJM Examines Medicare Part D (June 1, 2006)
• Guidance for PDPs to Lower Number of Plans (May 24, 2006)

• Kaiser Issue Brief on Medicare Part D and Dual Eligibles (May 2006)

• Kaiser Foundation Report Explores Stability of the Medicaid Safety Net for Low-Income Medicare Beneficiaries (May 2006)

• GAO Report on Medicare Drug Benefit (May 3, 2006)

• Medicare Drug Plans: Withholding Premiums from Your Social Security Payment (April 28, 2006)

• What You Should Know About Social Security Premium Withholds (April 28, 2006)

• Medicare Drug Plan Premium Letter (April 28, 2006)

• CMS Issues Guidance on Mid-Year Formulary Changes (April 27, 2006)
• CMS Resources for the End of Initial Part D Transition Period (March 31, 2006)
• Kaiser Dual Eligible tutorial (March 23, 2006)
• Kaiser Report on 50-State Survey of Medicare Part D Action for Dual Eligibles (March, 2006)
• Senate Finance Committee Requests GAO Report on Transition of Dual Eligibles (March 1, 2006)
• CMS Gives Instructions on Using Prescription Drug Coverage Before Receiving a Drug Plan Membership Card (March, 2006)
• Kaiser Looks at the New Part D Enrollment Numbers (February, 2006)
• CMA Provider Letter on Medicare Part B & D (February, 2006)
• CMS Medicare A, B, D Fact Sheet (February, 2006)
• CMS Chart Part D Drugs & Exclusions (February, 2006)
• CMS Notifies All 50 States of Greater Savings with Part D (House, February 8, 2006)
• CMS Issues States Letter on Medicare Part D Cost Reimbursements (February 2, 2006)
• Section 402 Demo Application (February 2, 2006)
• ANCOR Medicare Part D Update (January 30, 2006)
• Kaiser Medicare Part D Briefing Update (KFF, January 2006)
• Kaiser Webcast: Forum on Medicare Drug Benefit’s Early Progress ( January 26, 2006)
• Kaiser Webcast: Ask the Experts: State Health Care Initiatives (January 25, 2006)
• State Part D Enrollment Figures (January 20, 2006)
• CMS McClellan Recap of Additional Medicare Part D Efforts (January 18, 2006)
• CMS Reports Medicare Part D Enrollment of 24 Million (January 17, 2006)
• CMS Open Letter on Medicare Part D (January 13, 2006)
• Kaiser Resources on Dual Eligibles and Medicare Part D (January 2006)
• Medicare Part D Regional Low-Income Subsidy Premium Benchmarks (January 2006)
• CMS Tip Sheet for Employers on Medicare Part D and Retirees (December 2005)
• CMS Tip Sheet for Employers Regarding Dual Eligible Retirees (December 2005)
• CMS List of Medicare Part D Scenarios Q&A
• Medicaid Directors Discuss Impact of Medicare Part D
• New Kaiser Medicare Drug Low-Income Subsidy Applications as of 11/29
• New Kaiser Number of Medicare Prescription Drug Plans (PDPs) by Type (November 2005)
• Understanding Changes in Prescription Drug Coverage for People with Disabilities (Crowley and Williams, November 2005)
• A Guide to Medicare Part D for People with Developmental Disabilities (The Arc)
• Kaiser Medicare Prescription Drug Plan by State (November 2005)
• Kaiser Medicare Part D: Issues for Dual Eligibles on the Eve of Implementation (November 2005)
• Kaiser Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage for Residents of Nursing Homes and Assisted Living Facilities: Special Problems and Concerns (November 2005)
• Kaiser The Exceptions and Appeals Process: Issues and Concerns in Obtaining Coverage Under the Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Benefit (November 2005)
• Kaiser Webcast: Making Sense of Medicare's Drug Benefit (November 10, 2005)
• Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Benefit Starts January 1:
  • CMS Fact Sheet on Transition of Dual Eligibles (December 1, 2005)
  • 20 Minute CMS Webcast Trainer on New Medicare Drug Plan Finder
  • CMS Letter to Duals on Auto Enrollment
  • CMS Part D Fact Sheet
• Experts on Medicare Part D (CMS Webcast)
• CMS Tips and Tools on Medicare Part D (CMS, October 17, 2005)
• "Ask the Experts" Program on Medicare Part D (Kasier Webcast, October 6, 2005)
• CMS Message Regarding Dual Eligibles Affected by Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma (October 3, 2005)
• Kaiser Medicare Part D Fact Sheet (September 2005)
• Kaiser Low-Income Assistance Under the Medicare Drug Benefit (September 2005)
• Ensuring Continuity of Care for Dual Eligibles: A Guide to Transition from Medicaid to Medicare's Prescription Drug Coverage (Disability Policy Collaboration, September 205)
• ANCOR Issue Brief: Impact of Medicare Modernization Act on Dual Eligibles (July 2005)
• New Report Analyzes the Medicare Modernization Act's Impact on Dual Eligibles. Trouble Brewing? New Medicare Drug Law Puts Low-Income People at Risk is from FamiliesUSA. (June 2005)
• CMS Guidance on Drugs Excluded from the New Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit (June 3, 2005)
• CMS Partner Center Web site on Implementation of Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage
  • Includes links to Information for Providers, Information for Beneficiaries, Outreach Materials and Publications, Timelines for States, Timelines for Health Plans (July 2005)
• Impact of Medicare Prescription Drug Law on HCBS Waiver Services (The Commonwealth Fund, April 2005)
• Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage Calendar -- Important Dates for Beneficiaries (2005 and 2006)
• Information on Approved Medicare Drug Discount Cards, Price Comparisons

Medicaid Buy-ins

President Signs Medicare Overhaul Bill, Includes Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit President Bush signed the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 (H.R. 1) on December 8, 2003, adding an estimated cost of $410 billion over ten year to the federal budget. H.R. 1 represented a compromise of separately passed House and Senate bills. The massive 700-page legislation (MMA) represents the largest expansion of Medicare since its enactment in 1965, adding a new prescription drug benefit for all 41 million seniors and people with disabilities who are currently beneficiaries.

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