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New National Poll: Medicare Coverage Gap Confounds Majority of Seniors; Medco Launches National Campaign to Educate Enrollees About the Gap

Tuesday, November 18, 2008 General News
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- Nearly two-thirds of enrollees don't fully understand the Medicare Part D Coverage Gap



FRANKLIN LAKES, N.J., Nov. 18 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Millions of Medicare Part D beneficiaries may not understand a key part of their prescription plan, which can lead to unexpected prescription costs.
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According to a new national poll titled "What's Your Gap? Seniors Struggling with the Medicare Coverage Gap," nearly two-thirds of enrollees don't fully understand the Medicare Part D Coverage Gap -- the portion of Part D plans in which beneficiaries must cover the full cost of their prescriptions.
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In fact, even after three years since the introduction of the Medicare Part D program, and with 56 percent of the eligible population enrolled in the program, more than one in four beneficiaries either don't understand the Coverage Gap at all, or simply don't know what the Coverage Gap is. And in spite of the lack of knowledge, nearly one-third of survey respondents have not looked for information on the Coverage Gap to better understand it.



"Seniors are in the dark about the Coverage Gap," says Dr. Richard Dupee, president of the Massachusetts Geriatric Society and chief of geriatrics at Tufts Medical Center. "Without knowing how the Coverage Gap works, it's simply impossible to take steps to push off or prevent it."



To address this issue, Medco unveiled today a multi-level initiative aimed at educating retirees about the Coverage Gap, and what steps they can take to stave off or even prevent them from falling into the "doughnut hole." The program, "What's Your Gap?" provides retirees with information about prescription drug savings opportunities, where to look for hidden savings, and clarifies many misconceptions about the Coverage Gap. For example, Part D beneficiaries can save up to 38 percent and delay entering the Coverage Gap by an average of two and a half months by choosing both generics and mail order.



As part of the initiative, Medco has developed a free consumer's guide called "What's Your Gap? Three simple steps to make the most of your Medicare Part D coverage and delay the Coverage Gap." The free guide presents easy-to-understand information on savings tools that are largely unknown or underutilized by beneficiaries and how to track your drug costs against the Coverage Gap. The guide is available free to consumers in a downloadable version at www.whatsyourgap.com, or by sending a postcard requesting the guide to "What's Your Gap?", PO Box 8007 Parsippany, NJ 07054-8007.



The poll, a national survey of 1,000 Medicare Part D program participants conducted for Medco Health Solutions, Inc. (NYSE: MHS) by Directive Analytics, is one of the first national polls to attempt to uncover some of the underlying reasons that so many beneficiaries end up in the "doughnut hole." Key findings include:



Gap Hits Those with Chronic Diseases: Among respondents who are already in the Coverage Gap in 2008, more than three out of four regularly take medications to treat more than one chronic condition; among respondents, 43 percent indicated they had reached the Coverage Gap before June of 2008.



Missing Out on Savings: Nearly 28 percent of survey respondents have not used any lower-cost options to reduce their prescription price tag to delay entering the gap. Furthermore, fewer than one in four (23 percent) enrollees have discussed ways to reduce their prescription drugs costs with their physicians. Only 19 percent of respondents indicated they have used a mail-order pharmacy to reduce their drug costs.



In 2008, once Medicare enrollees spend a total of more than $2,510 on prescription drugs in the initial phase of coverage, they enter the Coverage Gap and become responsible for the full cost of their medications. In 2009, the Coverage Gap shifts to total drug costs exceeding $2,700.



Beneficiaries Don't Know What Costs Count Toward the Gap

According to the survey, one of the root causes of confusion is that Medicare beneficiaries simply don't know what parts of a prescription's price count towards the Coverage Gap. Only one-quarter of enrollees polled correctly stated that the total cost of a drug ? both their out-of-pocket cost and the health plan's portion of the drug price ? count towards the Coverage Gap.



"It's one of the great Medicare myths ? that only copays or out-of-pocket costs count towards the doughnut hole," says Dr. Dupee. "This misunderstanding gives many seniors a false sense of security that the Coverage Gap is months away, when in reality, it could hit them with their next refill."



Bridging the Communication Gap

Recognizing the significance of educating enrollees about the specifics of the Coverage Gap, Medco has implemented an integrated Coverage Gap communications program that alerts its Prescription Drug Plan (PDP) members and specific health plan beneficiaries through mailings and outbound phone calls of their proximity to the Gap long before they reach it. Additionally, any time one of these members contacts a customer service representative for any reason, that member can be provided with a real-time Coverage Gap status update. To promote increased use of generics in order to help members delay entry into the Coverage Gap, Medco also offers members prescription forms that they can bring to their physician or will contact the doctor on their behalf to discuss generic alternatives that can lower the patient's medication costs.



About Medco

Medco Health Solutions, Inc. (NYSE: MHS) is the nation's leading pharmacy benefit manager based on its 2007 total net revenues of more than $44 billion. Medco's prescription drug benefit programs, covering approximately one-in-five Americans, are designed to drive down the cost of pharmacy health care for private and public employers, health plans, labor unions and government agencies of all sizes, for individuals served by the Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Program, and those served by Medco's specialty pharmacy segment, Accredo Health Group. Medco, the world's most advanced pharmacy(R), is positioned to serve the unique needs of patients with chronic and complex conditions through its Medco Therapeutic Resource Centers(R), including its enhanced diabetes pharmacy care practice through the Liberty acquisition. Medco is the highest-ranked independent pharmacy benefit manager on the 2008 Fortune 100 list. On the Net: http://www.medcohealth.com.



This press release contains "forward-looking statements" as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements involve risks and uncertainties that may cause results to differ materially from those set forth in the statements. No forward-looking statement can be guaranteed, and actual results may differ materially from those projected. We undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. Forward-looking statements in this press release should be evaluated together with the risks and uncertainties that affect our business, particularly those mentioned in the Risk Factors section of the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.



SOURCE Medco Health Solutions, Inc.
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