Open enrollment for Medicare Part D
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| News Archive
| Topics: depression, elderly, Medicaid, Medicare, medication
With six weeks of an open enrollment period to make changes in Medicare Part D coverage beginning Nov. 15, the Kaiser Family Foundation examined 1824 stand alone plans and estimates that premiums are likely to increase an average of 17 percent (for those staying in the same plan), with the top three plans averaging 27 percent.
Seniors, and those who advise them, might take note of the October issue of Psychiatric Services which says restrictions in some drug plans under Medicare Part D "may restrict psychotropic medications more than state Medicaid programs do. This may have important implications for patients dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid whose medications previously were covered under Medicaid.”
This becomes a practical concern for seniors. In an AARP survey (N=800), depression ranks sixth (of 11 chronic illnesses) with 15 percent of the respondents, in people over 50.
