Government
CMS starts naming Medicare Rx plans
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted Oct. 10, 2005
Ten large insurers will offer national Medicare prescription drug plans to anyone enrolled in the program starting next year, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services recently announced.
Aetna Life Insurance Co.; Connecticut General Life Insurance Co.; Coventry Health & Life Insurance; Medco Containment Life Insurance Co.; Memberhealth Inc.; Pacificare Life and Health Insurance Co.; Silverscript Insurance Co.; Unicare; United Health Care Insurance Co.; and Wellcare Health Plans received CMS approval to offer the plans. Dozens of other stand-alone drug plans and Medicare managed care options will be available on a regional basis, though at press time federal officials had not yet released final details about them.
Open enrollment for Medicare seniors and people with disabilities starts Nov. 15 for 2006 coverage. Insurers started marketing to beneficiaries Oct. 1.
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2005/10/10/gvbf1010.htm.