EAGAN, Minn., Sept. 26 /PRNewswire/ -- Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota (Blue Cross) today was awarded a contract with the federal government’s Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to offer Medicare Part D drug coverage. Coverage for prescription drugs represents the most significant change to Medicare in its 40-year history, and is expected to extend drug coverage access to all of Minnesota’s 700,000 seniors and others eligible for Medicare.
Blue Cross will offer Medicare Part D prescription drug coverage through the Blue Cross Blue Shield Northern Plains Alliance, a group of six Blue Cross plans throughout the upper Midwest. The stand-alone Part D plan, called MedicareBlue Rx, will offer several options starting at $13.58 per month. Other MedicareBlue Rx options will also offer first dollar coverage with no deductible or coverage gap.
“We’re all aware of the toll rising prescription drug costs have on our physical, financial and emotional security, especially for people on a fixed income. That’s why bringing coverage for prescription drugs into the scope of the Medicare program is such great news,” said Deborah Madson, vice president of government programs at Blue Cross. “It completes the full range of coverage options available -- not just for our members, but for all Minnesotans with Medicare.”
The stand-alone Part D prescription drug plans allow people with Medicare to add drug coverage alongside their Original Medicare Parts A and B, or Medicare Supplement coverage, such as Blue Cross Senior Gold. Those who have currently have Medicare Supplement and drug coverage can switch their drug coverage to a Part D plan, while keeping their existing Medicare Supplement plan to fill in the gaps of Medicare Part A and B. Because the federal government pays for a significant portion of the Part D plans, there will be Part D options that actually offer more coverage for lower monthly premiums than the drug coverage options currently available.
“Everyone with Medicare is eligible for Part D coverage, and extra help is available for those with limited incomes. But for most Medicare beneficiaries, enrollment is not automatic. People have to join a plan. We strongly encourage everyone to familiarize themselves with Part D so they can help their friends and family members take advantage of this coverage,” Madson said.
Information on the Medicare Part D program is available at www.bluecrossmn.com. An informative brochure, the ABC’s of Part D, is also available from Blue Cross by calling toll-free 1-877-662-BLUE (TTY 1-888-878-0137). Part D plan details will be available October 1, according to CMS regulations, for initial enrollment starting November 15, 2005 and running through May 15, 2006.
In early October, CMS will mail the Medicare & You 2006 handbook to every Medicare household. Medicare beneficiaries with coverage now, for example from a former employer, should also get information by November 15 on how that coverage will work with Medicare’s new benefits.
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota, with headquarters in the St. Paul suburb of Eagan, was chartered in 1933 as Minnesota’s first health plan and continues to carry out its charter mission today: to promote a wider, more economical and timely availability of health services for the people of Minnesota. A not-for-profit, taxable organization, Blue Cross is the largest health plan based in Minnesota, covering 2.6 million members in Minnesota and nationally through its health plans or plans administered by its affiliated companies. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, headquartered in Chicago. Go to www.bluecrossmn.com to learn more about Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota.
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota
CONTACT: Karl Oestreich, +1-651-662-1502, or Monika Strom,+1-651-662-6889, both of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota
Web site: http://www.bluecrossmn.com//
