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Special coverage: Medicare

Part D deadline

May 15 is the last day to enroll in the Medicare prescription drug benefit without penalty. Congress should extend the deadline to the end of the year.

At least 6-million Americans eligible for Medicare's prescription drug benefit have not signed up, and soon they will face penalties if they change their minds in the future. May 15 is the deadline for enrolling in the program. Those who delay the decision by even a day won't have another chance to enroll until Nov. 15, when coverage will cost more and won't begin until 2007.

Medicare has rolled out a last-minute publicity blitz to inform recipients of the impending deadline, but there is a better way to ensure that every recipient has a chance to make the best choice. Several bills filed in Congress would extend the deadline until Dec. 31, and 48 senators signed a letter asking leaders to take up the legislation promptly. "The Medicare drug benefit has proven confusing for seniors across the country, and we must make it easier by giving them time and help to enroll in the right plan for their needs," said Sen. Bill Nelson, sponsor of one of the bills.

Extending the deadline makes sense. The program got off to a shaky start, particularly because of the difficulty in understanding the dozens of plans offered and the complex formula they are based on. Many seniors who took the time to choose a plan are now glad they did.

Medicare recipients who don't sign up for a plan by May 15 face a significant penalty. If they wait to enroll in a prescription plan, the cost will increase by 1 percent a month, and the earliest they will be eligible for drug coverage is January 2007. But that message hasn't had time to get out. For more information or to sign up, call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227).

Enrollment has gone better than anticipated, according to Medicare officials, so there is little reason to stick to the punitive deadline. The weakest response to the new program is coming from rural areas, where there are fewer resources to educate retirees. In some places Medicare has now joined with the National Grange to inform recipients in outlying areas about the drug benefit. Such efforts should be fruitful over time.

If the prescription drug benefit is as good a deal as the Bush administration and Congress say it is, then neither should object to a deadline extension that would bring more Medicare recipients into the fold without a penalty.

[Last modified April 30, 2006, 07:46:28]