Medicare Part D (i.e. drug benefit)

[emily_the_spoiled]

There is financial assistance available for premiums from Social Security under the following guidlines:
-Income below $14,355/year single and $19,245/year married
-Assets below $11,500 single and $23,000 married
-Contact the Social Security Administration at 1-800-772-1213 or www.socialsecurity.gov

People should really be encouraged to sign up for any plan. There is a late-comer penalty if people do not register by May 1, 2006. The penalty is 1% for each month they are not registered. For people who already have drug benefits (i.e. retiree benefits from their company), they should be able to stay with their current plan. But they need to check with their plan adminstrator to make sure the plan is consider equivalent and they will not suffer any penalties.