BMJ  2005;331:1225 (26 November), doi:10.1136/bmj.331.7527.1225

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Medicare's new prescription drug plan causes confusion

Fred Charatan

Florida

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

More than 43 million US senior citizens have started choosing a new prescription drug plan under the biggest change to the country's Medicare scheme since 1965. But many are finding the choice of different schemes bewildering.

Senior citizens can join without penalty as late as 15 May 2006, but for coverage to begin by 1 January 2006, they must select by the end of this year. The drug benefit is going to cost an estimated $724bn (£421bn; {euro}615bn) over 10 years, as senior citizens have on average six prescriptions each. Some say it is President Bush's biggest domestic achievement. Up to now, the Medicare scheme, which provides health insurance for senior citizens, has reimbursed only a limited number of drugs.

The federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services have issued an official 100 page handbook entitled Medicare & You 2006 to every Medicare beneficiary. It explains that insurance companies and . . . [Full text of this article]

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