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What's New? Latest on Medicare D from the SHINE Program 1/11/2006 - Medicare Prescription Drug Program Begins Filling Prescriptions - MassHealth or Prescription Advantage Member If you have MassHealth or Prescription Advantage, your drugs are now covered by Medicare Prescription Drug Plans (Medicare Part D). If you did not select a plan by December 31, 2005, you were automatically enrolled in a plan effective January 1, 2006. Some of you have experienced difficulty using your new plans. If you went to your pharmacy, without an identification card or an acknowledgment letter from your drug plan, your pharmacist may not have been able to verify your enrollment in the plan. Even for those with proof of enrollment there have been problems. The program is brand new and this is an adjustment period. The good news is that our state officials on Monday, January 9th took steps to make certain that nobody on MassHealth or Prescription Advantage will have to leave the pharmacy without their necessary drugs or pay more than the required co-payments. The pharmacies have been told that if they cannot process your prescription through a Part D plan, they can bill the State, that will temporarily provide coverage for your drugs until the Part D program is successfully up and running. Filling Prescriptions - Not MassHealth or Prescription Advantage Member If you are having problems getting your drugs using your Part D plan, contact your local COA to make an appointment with a SHINE counselor, who will attempt to resolve the matter for you. You can also reach a SHINE counselor by telephone. Call 1-800-AGE-INFO (1-800-243-4636), option #2.Once you get the SHINE answering machine; leave your name and number. A SHINE volunteer will call you back, as soon as possible. We are experiencing a high call volume but will do our best to get back to you as soon as we can. Open Enrollment Continues If you have not signed up for a Part D plan, you can sign up until May 15th. You will still be within the Open Enrollment Period and coverage will begin the month after you enroll. If you are not satisfied with the plan you selected or the plan you were auto enrolled in (Prescription Advantage members), you can change to another plan once between now and May 15th. MassHealth members can change plans any time during the year. Also, there is an Annual Open Enrollment Period each year (November 15 to December 31), during which anyone can enroll in a Part D Plan. Back to What's New?
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