Remarks as Delivered at the Part D Low Income Subsidy Stakeholder Meeting

Reaching out to Medicare Beneficiaries

Good afternoon. Thank you, Herb Kuhn, for that warm introduction. On behalf of Secretary Leavitt, I would like to welcome all of you. I'm delighted to have the opportunity to talk to you about the upcoming enrollment period.

When we wrapped up the very first enrollment season, Secretary Leavitt said he wanted the community-based outreach, the unprecedented partnerships, and the personal support for beneficiaries and caregivers to be permanent parts of the Medicare program from then on. That is why we have asked you here today.

The fact that over 90 percent of people with Medicare have access to prescription drugs is a tremendous success. And it could not have happened without your support. Over the course of this afternoon's briefing, we want to discuss with you how we can reach that extra 10 percent of beneficiaries who may still not have drug coverage, especially those who might pay little or nothing if they took advantage of Medicare's extra help.

We have worked hard over the past year to update our files on people who might be eligible for Part D and the low income subsidy. We have been able to pinpoint Medicare beneficiaries in pockets of need, right down to the zip code level.

In addition, you will be able to go right to the CMS website and see where targeted outreach could help people in your area.

In a few minutes, Herb will fill in some of the details on this new data. He will also tell you about the work CMS has done to identify best practices as well as new tools to make outreach more effective, such as a fotonovela targeted to people with limited English skills.

We are committed to reaching as many people on limited incomes as possible. For example, CMS is exploring ways to help low-income beneficiaries to sign up for Part D at any time without penalty through 2008. As you can imagine, this will make it a great deal easier to connect those who need a helping hand with the Part D plans that are available for them.

Even though there's technically no enrollment deadline this year for people who are eligible for extra help, all of us know that anyone who cannot afford a prescription needs help right now. They also need your help to ensure they connect with the Social Security Administration.

Thank you for your commitment to helping these low-income Americans. Now, I would like to turn this meeting back over to Herb. Herb?