EL SEGUNDO, Calif., April 2 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Computer Sciences Corporation announced today that, under an agreement with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), CSC has been named an approved Medicare Drug Discount Card sponsor. The agreement, which has an estimated value to CSC of $46 million over 20 months, enables the company to enroll Medicare beneficiaries in its Medicare-endorsed Drug Discount Card program.
The Medicare Drug Discount Card, an element of the Medicare Modernization Act of 2003, enables Medicare beneficiaries to receive savings on purchases of prescription drugs, and provides $600 per year in transitional assistance to Medicare beneficiaries at lower income levels.
In addition to being named a Medicare Drug Discount Card sponsor, CSC was also the only sponsor approved to offer transitional assistance to American Indians and Alaska Natives. Under the Medicare Drug Discount Card program, Medicare beneficiaries with incomes up to 135% of the federal poverty level are eligible to receive federal transitional assistance. With this assistance, the government covers the beneficiary's Medicare Drug Discount Card enrollment fee and provides a $600 annual subsidy toward the cost of the beneficiary's prescription drugs. CSC also received special approval under the Medicare initiative to serve residents of long-term care facilities nationwide.
CSC was one of only three Medicare Drug Discount Card sponsors chosen to service this market.
"CSC will leverage its experience with the Medicare program and knowledge of the IT infrastructure that supports CMS to implement this new Medicare initiative," said Marcia Kim, a vice president in CSC's Federal Sector Civil Service organization. "We look forward to providing the best possible prescription drug savings to Medicare beneficiaries."
In addition to project management, CSC will provide enrollment processing and customer service center operations. CSC will be responsible for client relationships, financial management, and developing and maintaining a compliance program.
Teaming with CSC are Member Health, Inc. of Cleveland, Ohio; the National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) of Alexandria, Va.; and the Senior Care Pharmacy Alliance (SCPA) of Columbus, Ohio. Member Health is one of the nation's most innovative pharmacy benefit administrators. NCPA represents almost 24,000 community pharmacies nationwide, and will make significant contributions towards Medicare beneficiary education and orientation about this new program. The association has also contributed its Community Care Rx brand to the team. SCPA was formed to assure seniors residing in nursing and assisted living facilities receive the most cost-effective medication therapy and to promote the appropriate utilization of medications.
CSC will perform Medicare Drug Discount Card program work at its offices in Baltimore, Rensselaer, N.Y., and Cleveland.
About CMS
CMS is the federal agency responsible for the administration of the Medicare and Medicaid Programs. These programs support the health care needs of close to 70 million American citizens. The Medicare Drug Discount Card program will provide reduced costs to Medicare consumers for their prescription drugs. The Medicare Modernization Act also provided for a federal drug benefit program in Medicare that will begin in 2006.
About CSC
Founded in 1959, Computer Sciences Corporation is a leading global information technology (IT) services company. CSC's mission is to provide customers in industry and government with solutions crafted to meet their specific challenges and enable them to profit from the advanced use of technology.
With approximately 90,000 employees, CSC provides innovative solutions for customers around the world by applying leading technologies and CSC's own advanced capabilities. These include systems design and integration; IT and business process outsourcing; applications software development; Web and application hosting; and management consulting. Headquartered in El Segundo, Calif., CSC reported revenue of $13.8 billion for the 12 months ended Jan. 2, 2004. For more information, visit the company's Web site at http://www.csc.com/ .
Computer Sciences CorporationCONTACT: Chuck Taylor, Director, Communications, Federal Sector,+1-703-641-3430, ctaylor26@csc.com, or Mike Dickerson, Director, MediaRelations, Corporate, +1-310-615-1647, mdickers@csc.com, or Bill Lackey,Director, Investor Relations, Corporate, +1-310-615-1700, blackey3@csc.com,all of Computer Sciences Corporation
Web site: http://www.csc.com/
