Don't miss the deadline

KNIGHT RIDDER NEWSPAPERS
Q. My 90-year-old aunt has Alzheimer's disease and is living in a nursing home. I am her only living family member and now her legal guardian. My aunt spends hundreds of dollars each month on her prescriptions. Will Medicare start to pay for her prescriptions? -- Bill
A. Medicare will help pay for medications beginning Jan. 1, 2006. To get this coverage, your aunt will need to enroll in a Medicare prescription drug plan. The enrollment period for 2006 began on Nov. 15 and ends May 15.
If your aunt is not getting help with her medication expenses from another insurance plan or program, such as Medicaid, it is probably a good idea to enroll her in a Medicare drug plan before May 15. If she misses this deadline, she will continue to pay for her prescriptions next year and won't be able to get coverage under a Medicare plan until 2007. And, she could face a premium penalty for late enrollment if she signs up for a Medicare drug plan in the future.
The next hurdle is deciding which plan is best for her. Here are a few tips. First, if your aunt is in the traditional Medicare program and you don't want to make a change, consider enrolling her in a plan that is just for her prescription drug coverage. The other option would be to sign up for a plan, such as a Medicare HMO, for all of her Medicare benefits, including prescription drugs.
More help
Second, see if your aunt qualifies for additional help based on her income and savings. If she does, she may not be required to pay the full premium or deductible under a Medicare drug plan and would pay less for each prescription.
Third, compare Medicare drug plans in her area to see which could save her the most money. Compare monthly premiums. Check to see which plans cover the drugs your aunt takes and how much she would pay to get her prescriptions filled. Once you have picked a few plans that seem right, check with your aunt's nursing home to be sure that its pharmacy is in the plan's network.
Here's some good news. If you feel you've made a mistake, and learn that there is a better prescription drug plan for your aunt, she can switch plans at any point in the year. She's fortunate that you are looking out for her.
XThis column was prepared by the Kaiser Family Foundation, an independent, non-profit private foundation based in Menlo Park, Calif., not affiliated with the Kaiser Permanente health plan. Send questions about the new Medicare drug benefit to Medicare Q & amp; A, The Kaiser Family Foundation, 1330 G St., NW, Washington, DC 20005 or MedicareQ@kff.org.