Guiding older adults through the maze of medicare prescription drug benefits

Geriatric Nursing Volume 25 Number 3 Nurses working with older adults are responsible for planning interventions that facilitate their adherence to appropriate medication regimens. Because of the increasingly high cost of prescription drugs for older adults, nurses often need to address financial limitations as a barrier to adhering to medication regimens. In December 2003, Congress passed legislation that will give all Medicare beneficiaries access to prescription discount cards beginning June 1, 2004, and to some prescription drug coverage beginning in 2006. The legislation is very complex, and older adults have been bombarded with information about a confusing array of prescription benefit discount plans. Gerontologic nurses and other health care practitioners need to be familiar with these plans because they must educate older adults and their families about the most cost-effective ways to obtain prescribed medications. It is important to know that the major provisions of the Medicare drug bill do not take effect until Jan 1, 2006, and details of this plan are still being developed. Some of the highlights of the bill that nurses need to know now are: • Although the new Medicare drug benefit plan will not be implemented until 2006, Medicare-endorsed discount cards will be effective between June 1, 2004, and Dec 31, 2005. • Enrollment in any plan is voluntary. • The new drug plans will be most beneficial to people who have low incomes or annual overall drug Guiding Older Adults Through the Maze of Medicare Prescription Drug Benefits