Medicare Part D Enrollment Deadline May 15th

Reminder: If you are planning to enroll in the Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit, the enrollment deadline is Monday, May 15, 2006.

People who enroll after the deadline may be subject to a late enrollment penalty. This is a 1% cumulative penalty for each month that enrollment is delayed. For example, if you wait until May 15, 2007 to enroll, you will have to pay your Part D premium PLUS an additional 12% of that premium each month for the rest of your life. This penalty applies UNLESS you are eligible for extra help through the Part D Low Income Subsidy program. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Resources has set up a website called BenefitsCheckUp Rx [http://www.benefitscheckup.org/rx] to help you find out if you are eligible for extra help. Or, you can contact Social Security by phone at 1-800-772-1213 for more information about the Low Income Subsidy program.

1-800-MEDICARE is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to assist you and your loved ones with the enrollment process. Medicare has added 6,000 telephone operators and quadrupled their enrollment capacity in this last week before the deadline. Or, if you choose to mail in your enrollment application, it must be postmarked by midnight on the 15th.