Bush urges families to help seniors enroll

Bush has denied requests to extend the deadline to sign up for the program.
ORLANDO SENTINEL
ORLANDO, Fla. -- President Bush said Wednesday that family and friends must help seniors meet the looming deadline for enrolling in Medicare's new prescription-drug program.
On the final stop of a three-day sprint through Florida, Bush said the program has helped many people cut their drug costs in half and urged everyone on Medicare to consider joining. The deadline is Monday.
"If you're a son or daughter and your mom hasn't signed up and your dad hasn't signed up, do your duty and help them find out what's available," he said.
Calling himself "educator in chief," Bush promoted the program to an enthusiastic crowd at the Asociacion Borinquena de Florida Central, a Puerto Rican organization in east Orlando.
The president shared the stage with a pharmacist, a volunteer who helps people enroll in the program and two Florida residents who are saving money with the coverage. All 43 million Americans on Medicare -- including seniors and younger people with disabilities -- are eligible for the drug plans.
Peter Navarro, 59, of Tavares, Fla., said he used to rely on free samples from doctors for his eight medicines. Before joining the drug program, he would worry about getting everything he needed.
"This has been a blessing for me because now I can take my medicines the way I'm supposed to," Navarro said.
Lots of choices
In addition to highlighting the program's benefits, Bush acknowledged its inherent complexity.
Called Medicare Part D, the insurance is offered through private companies. Many plans are available in any given region -- each with varying costs and drugs that are covered. In Florida alone, there are more than 40 options, Bush said.
"That, in itself, created a slight problem because 40 choices can create uncertainty in people," Bush said, adding that the variety makes it easier for people to find a plan that suits them best.
About 21 million people are now covered by Part D plans, and another 16 million seniors have prescription insurance through other sources, such as retiree and military benefits.
Earlier in the week, Bush rejected a challenge from Democrats to extend the enrollment deadline through the end of the year so wary seniors would have more time to investigate the program. Bush has said the cut-off is necessary because it spurs more people to take action.
Florida Sen. Bill Nelson, a Democrat, has introduced a bill in Congress that would move the deadline to Dec. 31. But the legislation has not gotten anywhere.
If deadline is missed
If people miss Monday's deadline, they will have the chance to enroll again in November for coverage that would start in 2007. But some will be penalized for joining late with higher fees.
Bush told seniors Wednesday there is no time to waste.
"I believe it's a good deal for American seniors," he said.
During his presentation, the president joked about his own gray hair and recalled when Orange County Mayor Rich Crotty's son (12 years old at the time) was caught fidgeting and yawning by television cameras during a 2004 speech that Bush made in Orlando.
The widely publicized video landed Crotty's son on the David Letterman show.
"Give him my best," Bush told the mayor.