Gao Report Concludes Medicare Is Doing an Inadequate Job of Answering Questions about Part D

Report States Problems with Information Could Result in Confusion among Those Seeking to Make Coverage Decisions

Today, GAO released a report about the quality of CMS communications to seniors regarding the new Medicare Part D benefit. The following is the statement of Ron Pollack, Executive Director of Families USA, about the report:

“From the start of the new drug program, seniors and people with disabilities have relied on information provided to them by CMS to make important decisions about their drug coverage. This report shows that an already extremely confusing process has been made all the worse by the lack of clear, complete, accurate, and usable information.”

“Due to the program’s complexity and CMS’s failure to provide clear and accurate information, it makes no sense to penalize seniors who fail to enroll in the program by the May 15 deadline. The enrollment period should be extended, and the penalty should be waived.”

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Families USA is the national organization for health care consumers. It is nonprofit and nonpartisan and advocates for high-quality, affordable health care for all Americans.

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