You may have missed many of these facts. I’m sorry, that’s wrong. What I meant to say is that you probably haven’t read about these facts.
So, without further ado, here’s some Sunny-D.
* Enrollment So Far Has Almost Surpassed The Entire Year’s Goal.
27.6 million of the 42.4 million eligible seniors are now covered by the prescription drug benefit. Of the 14.8 million who are not enrolled, 5.8 million are covered by alternative drug benefits like Veterans’ Administration or their current employers. (CMS, 3/23/06)
* Enrollment Is Well Ahead Of Schedule.
The benefit has now almost met its goal of enrolling 28 million seniors by December 2006. (CMS, 3/23/06)
* More Seniors Are Enrolling Every Week.
Since the start of March, seniors have been enrolling in the plan at an average rate of 416,000 per week, and enrollment has increased 29 percent since February. (CMS)
* A Majority Of Seniors Approve Of The Plan.
79 percent of seniors approve of the drug benefit, and 50 percent approve “strongly.” (Harris, 2/7-2/9/06)
* And Seniors Who Haven’t Yet Enrolled Plan To.
47 percent of seniors who aren’t yet in the plan say they plan to enroll by May 15; an additional 16 percent said they would sign up soon when reminded that costs will be higher after then. (KRC Research, 3/15-3/20)
4 Out Of 5 Seniors Who Signed Up For The Plan Are Satisfied.
78 percent are now satisfied with their prescription drug coverage, while just 13 percent are not. Furthermore, 77 percent now say they have peace of mind about their coverage and 67 percent say they’re better off than they were before. (KRC Research, 3/15-3/20)
* The Longer They’re In The Plan, The More Positive Seniors Feel About It.
66 percent of seniors say the effort they put into evaluating different drug plans was worth it, while only 13 percent say it wasn’t. The number who says it was worth it has increased by a net of 12 points since December 2005, when 57 percent thought it was worthwhile and 16 percent disagreed. (Ayres McHenry, 3/6-3/9/06)
* Seniors Have Been Using The Plan Successfully.
84 percent of seniors who enrolled themselves in the plan had no troubles signing up and 85 percent had no problems using it. (Ayres McHenry, 3/6-3/9/06)
* Seniors Are Able To Choose The Plan Right For Them.
Almost three-quarters of those in the plan, 72 percent, are confident they chose the drug plan that best fit their needs. (Pew Research, 3/8-3/12)
* Seniors In The Plan Are Saving Money On Their Drugs.
The average senior in the plan will save more than $1,100 on their prescription drugs this year. Furthermore, the plan’s premiums now average $25 per month, down from a projected $37 per month. (CMS Final Rule Regulatory
Impact Analysis, 1/28/05)
* And They Would Recommend It To Others.
65 percent of those in the plan say they would recommend other seniors enroll; just 8 percent said they would not. (Ayres McHenry, 3/6-3/9/06)
* Seniors Think The Plan Is A Step In The Right Direction.
Two-thirds of seniors, 66 percent, believe the drug benefit was a step in the right direction, while just 20 percent think it was not. (KRC Research, 3/15-3/20)
* And They Believe The Benefit’s Critics Are Playing Politics.
46 percent of seniors in the plan believe that politicians criticizing the prescription drug benefit are just trying to score political points, while only 14 percent think they are sincerely trying to fix it. (Ayres McHenry, 3/6-3/9/06)
It’s D-Lovely.
