With the deadline for registering for the new Medicare prescription drug program fast approaching, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is launching an all-out campaign to educate seniors and enroll them in the program. Eligible senior citizens who do not sign up before the May 15 deadline will face financial penalties for late registration unless they can show they had creditable coverage as defined by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
NAACP President & CEO Bruce S. Gordon said, "The NAACP opposed the Medicare Part D prescription drug program that was approved by Congress because it fails to provide the kind of expansive coverage needed and many of the options offered are confusing. However, we are working to educate seniors to take advantage of the plan that is now law."
Among Medicare beneficiaries, 43 percent of African Americans and 37 percent of Hispanics went without drug coverage for part or all of 2002, according to a study by the Kaiser Family Foundation.
Although imperfect, this program will provide access to affordable drug coverage to many for the first time. However, because of the complexity of the program, outreach efforts need to be expanded so that this opportunity to reduce racial and ethnic disparities in healthcare is not missed. The NAACP is stepping forward to help expand outreach to many seniors who are not aware of the benefit or are simply unsure of how to enroll.
The NAACP is partnering with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the National Council on Aging, Medicare Today and others to increase participation in the Medicare prescription program.
"The CBC welcomes the opportunity to work with the NAACP and others to give seniors the information they need to make good decisions about the new Medicare Prescription Drug benefit," noted U.S. Representative Melvin L. Watt (D-NC). "While it is no secret that the members of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) believe that the Prescription Drug Program could and should have been a lot better, for many seniors it's the only way they have to get the prescription medications they need and these seniors must be encouraged to take advantage of the benefit. Without adequate and accurate information the health and well-being of many seniors will be threatened."
In a letter recently sent to President Bush, members of the CBC, Congressional Hispanic Caucus and Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus urged him to extend the Medicare Part D enrollment deadline by executive decree to December 31, 2006, from May 15. The group emphasized that racial and ethnic minority seniors may not have all the information necessary to enroll in a Part D plan and do not have the resources to absorb the lifelong financial penalties associated with late enrollment.
President Gordon has enlisted the services of Bill Cosby and Danny Glover, TransAfrica Forum Board Chair, to record public service announcements promoting awareness of the plan's registration deadline. In addition, there will be a special call for registration from several prominent African American ministers throughout the country on each Sunday before May 15.
Gordon noted that the office of Dr. Garth N. Graham, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Minority Health at the Department of Health and Human Services, "has done an outstanding job of helping to enroll seniors in the prescription program."
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