Encouraging all eligible Medicare beneficiaries who have not yet elected to enroll in the new Medicare Part D benefit to review the available options and to determine whether enrollment in a Medicare prescription drug plan best meets their current and future needs for prescription drug coverage.

        [Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 802 Engrossed in House (EH)]

H. Res. 802

In the House of Representatives, U.S.,

May 11, 2006.
Whereas Medicare now offers a prescription drug benefit for its beneficiaries,
known as Medicare Part D;
Whereas more than 35,900,000 Medicare eligible individuals are receiving
prescription drug coverage, of which there are more than 27,000,000,
including a substantial number of low-income and minority beneficiaries,
receiving coverage through the new benefit;
Whereas 8,100,000 beneficiaries have enrolled in stand alone Medicare
prescription drug plans;
Whereas estimates indicate that the average beneficiary will save more than
$1,100 this year alone by enrolling in a Medicare prescription drug
plan;
Whereas the average monthly premium for enrolling in a Medicare prescription
drug plan is now just $25 per month, which is far below the initial
estimate of $37 per month;
Whereas recent surveys of Medicare beneficiaries enrolled in Medicare
prescription drug plans indicate that beneficiaries are satisfied with
their coverage;
Whereas advocacy groups including the AARP, National Alliance for Hispanic
Health, the National Medical Association, and the National Council on
Aging have all sponsored enrollment events designed to encourage
eligible beneficiaries to enroll in Medicare prescription drug plans;
Whereas Area Agencies on Aging, State Health Insurance Programs (SHIPs), and
other local and community organizations are available to provide seniors
with assistance and answer their questions about how to select the
Medicare prescription drug plan that best meets their needs;
Whereas pharmacists are on the front line in delivering prescriptions to
Medicare beneficiaries and continue to be instrumental in providing
valuable information and assistance about the new benefit;
Whereas in recent months Members of Congress have hosted hundreds of events and
the Secretary of Health and Human Services, the Administrator of the
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, and other Administration
officials have sponsored thousands of outreach and enrollment events, to
educate seniors regarding the new prescription drug benefit;
Whereas the deadline for enrollment in the new prescription drug plan without
being subject to any late enrollment penalty is May 15, 2006; and
Whereas editorial writers and opinion leaders across the nation have recognized
the importance of an enrollment deadline because it encourages
beneficiaries to make a decision about enrolling: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives encourages all Medicare
beneficiaries who are not yet enrolled in Part D to review carefully all of the
options that are available to them and to determine whether enrollment in a
Medicare prescription drug plan best meets their current and future needs for
prescription drug coverage.

Attest:

Clerk.