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Page: << Prev | 1 | 2 A number of factors, other than bottom-line cost, may be influencing decisions, Neuman said. "They wanted to go with a plan that had good brand recognition or one of the lowest-premium plans -- not necessarily a plan with lower pharmacy costs," she said.
Still, most people are not maximizing their savings when choosing a Part D plan, the report concluded.
One problem might be that there are too many plans available, Neuman said. "Seniors have said they think there are too many plans, and people don't do well when confronted with so much choice," she said. "It could well be that people found the process difficult."
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While the federal government has a useful Web site to help seniors find the best plan for them, many seniors don't use the Internet, Neuman said.
Seniors would do well to go through the process of comparing plans, Neuman said. "It's not an easy or fun process, but there could be significant savings that could result from comparing plans and choosing one that provides the best deals for particular drugs a senior takes," she said.
Consumers also might benefit from a simplified approach to plans.
"Elders might be better off with a smaller set of choices, particularly across benefits structures," Gruber said. "At a minimum, elders would certainly be better off if they made more use of the calculator on the medicare.gov Web site that tells them the implications of different plan choices given their drug utilization. Policy-makers should think hard about restricting the broad set of benefit designs available under Part D.
Paul Precht, director of policy and communications at the Medicare Rights Center, said many Medicare clients would like a government-run drug plan, rather than having to choose from an array of confusing private plans.
"Talking to folks with Medicare drug plans, the frustration of the selection process and the confusion and the hassle means that even if they have a terrible experience with their plan, they will stick with it," he said. "Even if they know they can get a better deal, they just don't want to be bothered."
The report was compiled using data from pharmacy claims from 2005 and 2006 for Part D enrollees ages 65 and older. The study also examined choices people were likely to make based on their 2006 prescription needs.
More information
For more on the Medicare drug program, visit the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
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