Resouces for Part D

• Medicare Education Portal
  What, not include our own Medicare Education Portal? This site offers hundreds of Medicare Part D specific links, including links to particular articles on the Medicare.org site (that you might spend hours looking for otherwise) and advocacy/education groups, plus state specific resources. If you have a link that would help others, be sure to submit it and we will be sure to review it for approval. We can all use a little help making these important decisions, and the Medicare Eduation Portal is there to help.
  
  
• Social Security Administration: Help With Prescription Drug Costs
  Apply online through the official Social Security Administration (SSA) website, for help paying for prescription drugs if you have limited income and resources. Get various SSA publications explaining how to get help with the new Medicare Prescription Drug Plan. Many of these are available in various languages.besides English. (For Example, Getting Help with Medicare Prescription Drug Plan Costs is available in languages from Arabic to Vietnamese, and nearly every publication is available in both English and Spanish, as well.
  
  
• Center for Medicare Advocacy-Part D FAQ
  For consumers and professionals, the Center for Medicare Advocacy provides this detailed review of Medicare Part D
  
  
• Senior Health Insurance Information Program
  Stat by State Listing of Websites and/or Phone Numbers for each state's insurance assistance program. This is called Senior Health Insurance Information Program (SHIIP) or Senior Health Insurance Program (SHIP) in many states. There is no one, national SHIP/SHIIP program.
  
  
• Families USA: Medicare Drug Resource Center
  Designed to help advocates, legislators, and consumers navigate the complex changes in the new Medicare prescription drug program. With extensive resources and a forum to share experiences about the drug plans in your state. Plus, a link to the Cronkite video about the new Medicare Drug Plan.
  
  
• Top 10 Things to Know about Medicare Part D
  If you only have time for a quick
  introduction to Part D prescription drug
  plans, read this list. These are the big ideas
  you need to know. Later, if you want, you
  can dig deeper into these topics. From United Health Care.
  
  
• Quick Facts About Medicare's New Coverage for Prescription Drugs for people who are Nursing Home residents or live in certain types of Long-term Care Facilities
  Medicaid has paid for all drug costs for residents receiving Medicaid assistance for nursing home care and certain types of other long term care facilities. That will change starting January 1, 2006 when Medicaid will in effect start paying the Medicare Part D premiums for those Medicaid recipients. This .pdf from CMS explains how this will work starting in 2006.
  
  
• Medicare Rx Connect
  Extensive links to information about Medicare Prescription Drug coverage online. Sponsored by Medicare Access for Patients-Rx (MAPRx), a coalition of patient, family caregiver and health professional organizations
  
  
• Cronkite Video about Medicare Drug Plan
  Walter Cronkite looks at the new Medicare drug law with personal stories from seniors.
  
  
• Guide to Part D for Community Health Professionals and Media
  AstraZeneca provides a variety of resources for Community Health Professionals in their efforts to deliver timely and informed help to Medicare Part D Low Income Beneficiaries. There is a separate page with resources for the media, including how Medicare Part D affects special popultations (e.g., extra help for those with low incomes and information on employer and union coverage), along with facts and figures, and suggested stories.
  
  
• Access to Benefits Coalition
  Access to Benefits Coalition (ABC) offers extensive resources to educate the public about valuable government and private programs that can lower their prescription and health care costs even more, including the new Medicare Prescription Drug Program, Medicare-approved drug discount cards, Company Patient Assistance Programs and other important federal and state programs. A special online decision tool, called the BenefitsCheckUpRx™, helps beneficiaries, family caregivers and others, to learn about and enroll in these programs. BenefitsCheckUpRx™ is fast, free and confidential and is available through this Web site. Highly recommended.
  
  
• Low Income Subsidy Tool Kit
  This Tool Kit, developed by the Access to Benefits Coalition, includes useful resources to assist organizations helping people apply for the low-income subsidy. The Tool Kit includes a guide and frequently asked questions developed by the Access to Benefits Coalition, and important information you should have from the Social Security Administration.
  
  
• Part D and Me
  From Pacific Care, this site offers Medicare Part D information and a newsletter sign up.
  
  
• Official Medicare.gov Site
  Medicare Part D help direct from the official Medicare site. In an attempt to make Medicare Part D more user-friendly and gain greater acceptance, the legislation required massive consumer education from both the government and private companies. This site has lot of information but be careful: the site is definitely promoting the new Medicare Drug Plan so if you already have a drug benefit, or your drug needs are modest proceed cautiously.
  
  
• Diabetes Monitoring Kit
  For diabetics and their families, DiabetesMonitoringKit.com provides information and links about diabetes monitoring kits and glucose meters for better management of diabetes. Includes online site for monitoring kits and meters, and other diabetic supplies.