People With Medicare

My Medicare Matters™ Advises Evaluating Your Current Medicare Part D Plan During Open Enrollment

WASHINGTON, D.C. — November 6, 2007 — My Medicare Matters™, the community-based education program that has helped millions of seniors understand Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage, is encouraging people with Medicare to evaluate their current drug plan and decide whether to change plans during the Annual Open Enrollment Period.

The program has enhanced its award-winning Web site to help beneficiaries, their family members and caregivers more readily find the information they need to assess their Medicare Part D plan.

"Medicare plans change every year, and so do people's needs," said Wendy Zenker, executive director of the My Medicare Matters program. "People with Medicare should re-assess their plan to make sure it's still the right one and that it will continue to meet their needs for 2008."

"The MyMedicareMatters.org web site is user-friendly, and a great tool for those who are looking for answers," added Zenker, who is also the National Council on Aging's vice president for Mobilization.

New to the Web site this year is a section called, "Review 2008 Choices," that was created especially for those who currently have a Medicare Part D plan. It focuses on why someone should consider changing plans, when it is appropriate to do so and how to pick a new plan.

The Web site continues to offer "Start with 7 Simple Steps" for those who are looking to join a plan for the first time. This section explains eligibility, how to evaluate current drug coverage, cost, and how to pick a plan. Both sections link to the Prescription Drug Plan Finder on www.Medicare.gov and there is a helpful, downloadable instruction page that outlines how to use the Plan Finder tool.

"Like NCOA, we want to make sure seniors and their caregivers are equipped well to make decisions about Medicare Part D coverage. We believe that the resources available on MyMedicareMatters.org will enable Medicare beneficiaries and their loved ones to have the best information at their fingertips during this Annual Enrollment Period," said Fusun Sevgen, Director of Medicare and Strategy Outreach, AstraZeneca, the sponsor of My Medicare Matters.

The Spanish language version of the My Medicare Matters web site has been updated as well and is available at www.MiMedicareImporta.org.

The 2008 Annual Enrollment Period begins November 15 and ends December 31, 2007. My Medicare Matters is encouraging Medicare beneficiaries to follow these four steps as they evaluate their plans:

  1. Gather the list of medications you take, and the pharmacy, physicians and other health care providers you prefer to use,
  2. Review the information your current plan to mails you this fall; or ask them how your plan will change next year,
  3. Research the other plans that service your area and do some comparison shopping to see if there is a plan that can cover your medicines at a lower cost or with fewer restrictions, and
  4. Make a plan decision before December 31, 2007. If you decide to switch plans or are enrolling for the first time, do so by December 7 to ensure that you receive all your plan materials and can start filling your prescriptions on January 1, 2008.

About My Medicare Matters

My Medicare Matters is an initiative sponsored by National Council on Aging, Access to Benefits Coalition and supported by AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP; its goal is to help people with Medicare and their families better understand the Medicare prescription drug coverage so that they can assess their personal situation, understand their choices, compare plan options and make decisions they believe are right for their health and financial situation.

About NCOA

Founded in 1950, the National Council on Aging's mission to improve the lives of older Americans. NCOA programs help older people remain healthy and independent, find jobs, increase access to benefits programs, and discover meaningful ways to continue contributing to society. A non-profit organization with a national network of more than 14,000 organizations and 3,200 members, NCOA is based in Washington, DC. For more information about NCOA, please visit www.NCOA.org.

About AstraZeneca

AstraZeneca is a major international healthcare business engaged in the research, development, manufacture and marketing of prescription pharmaceuticals and the supply of healthcare services. It is one of the world's leading pharmaceutical companies with healthcare sales of $26.47 billion and leading positions in sales of gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, neuroscience, respiratory, oncology and infection products. AstraZeneca is listed in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (Global) as well as the FTSE4Good Index. In the United States, AstraZeneca is a $12.44 billion healthcare business with more than 12,000 employees. For nearly three decades, AstraZeneca has offered drug assistance programs side by side with its medicines, and over the past five years, has provided over $3 billion in savings to more than 1 million patients throughout the U.S. and Puerto Rico. AstraZeneca has been named one of the "100 Best Companies for Working Mothers" by Working Mother magazine and is the only large pharmaceutical company named to FORTUNE magazine's 2007 list of "100 Best Companies to Work For." In 2006, for the fifth consecutive year, Science magazine named AstraZeneca a "Top Employer" on its ranking of the world's most respected biopharmaceutical employers.

CONTACTS:

  • Scott Parkin, National Council on Aging, 202-479-6975
  • Kristin Rogers, AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP, 302-885-38922

Information on this web site was compiled from approved materials of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.