Ignagni: Enrollment is Milestone and Monumental Achievement
WASHINGTON, May 16 /PRNewswire/ -- Karen Ignagni, President and CEO of
America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP), made the following comments
regarding today's statement by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid
Services (CMS) on new enrollment data:
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20040830/AHIPLOGO )
"In 2002, 27 percent of seniors did not have prescription drug coverage
and one-third of those living at or near poverty lacked coverage.* Today's
announcement on enrollment showing that more than 90 percent of Medicare
beneficiaries now have prescription drug coverage because of the Medicare
Part D program is not just a milestone, but a monumental achievement.
"For millions of seniors who have faced difficult choices about how
much medicine, if any, they could afford, the new program is delivering
immediate results. To date, survey after survey has found that many
Medicare beneficiaries have made their choice and already are saving on the
prescription drugs they need.
"While the value of the benefit is exceeding enrollee expectations, the
cost of the benefit remains far below expectations. Competition and health
plan tools and techniques are helping beneficiaries pay one-third less on
their premiums and will help save taxpayers more than $200 billion over the
next ten years, making this benefit affordable for beneficiaries and
taxpayers."
* Source: The Commonwealth Fund;
http://www.cmwf.org/usr_doc/819_Safran_SeniorsDrugSurvey.pdf
America's Health Insurance Plans -- Providing Health Benefits
to More Than 200 Million Americans
SOURCE America's Health Insurance Plans
back to top
