Edited Article and Commentary by Dr. Don Rose, Writer,Life Alert

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The new Medicare prescription drug coverage, which went into effect January 1, 2006, lets seniors enjoy significant savings in their drug prescription costs. The official White House website, Whitehouse.gov, points out that, as of early May, over 31 million people had signed up for the new drug benefit, surpassing the administration's enrollment goal of 28-30 million. The site also says that 90 percent of the estimated 43 million eligible seniors may ultimately enroll by the May 15 deadline. Millions are also being automatically enrolled.

However, the May 15 cutoff date is still something many seniors must take action on; hence, the President has been making speeches in a final push to inform procrastinators about the new Medicare benefit. Seniors who wish to take maximum advantage of the new drug benefit should act before May 15. To help raise awareness, the article below presents facts and tips from a webpage about the new Medicare drug plan on the White House website.

One important item to note is that low income beneficiaries who qualify for the limited-income subsidy after May 15 will have extra time to enroll. While there are rumors that an extension for others might still be enacted, that is not confirmed, and so all eligible seniors are urged to sign up now for maximum savings. Those signing up AFTER May 15 may face coverage delays and/or wind up paying more. --Dr. Don Rose

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