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FDA Maturity Health Matters, Issue #3
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recently published its second issue of Maturity Health Matters. This electronic newsletter provides health information for older adults, their families and caregivers.
Featured in this issue is information about FDA's Centennial the iBOT 4000 (climbing) wheelchair recent problems with soft contact lens solutions and infections shingles vaccines filling prescriptions abroad being an active member of your healthcare team Baxter's infusion pump recall trans fats nutrition tips MedWatch - FDA's Safety Information and Adverse Event Reporting Program
HHS Announces $15 Million Collaboration On Prevention For Older Americans
HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt today announced a $15 million collaboration with The Atlantic Philanthropies to improve the health and quality of life for older Americans at the community level. As the leader of President Bush’s HealthierUS Initiative, Secretary Leavitt has identified prevention as a priority issue in order to highlight the importance of preventive care and chronic disease management
“This collaboration, led by the Administration on Aging (AoA) and involving several HHS agencies, states, and various public and private organizations at the community level, will empower older people to take more control of their own health through life style and behavioral changes that have proven effective in reducing the risk of disease and disability among the elderly,” Secretary Leavitt said. “Simply put, this collaboration will put the results of our research investments into the hands of older people so they can use it to improve the quality of their lives.”
Older Americans are disproportionately affected by chronic diseases and conditions such as arthritis, diabetes and heart disease, as well as by disabilities that result from injuries such as falls. Chronic conditions currently limit activities for 12 million older persons living in communities. These conditions collectively account for seven out of every 10 deaths, and more than three-quarters of all health expenditures in the United States.
The HHS research has generated a growing body of scientific evidence on the effectiveness of interventions that can help older people to improve their health status by better managing their chronic diseases, improving their nutrition and diet, exercising more, and avoiding injuries such as falls.
Building on that knowledge base and subject to the availability of funding, HHS will support efforts over three years in up to 12 states to mobilize public/private collaborations that will support the delivery of evidence-based programs for seniors at the community level. These programs will be administered at the community level through non-profit aging services provider organizations, such as senior centers, nutrition programs, senior housing projects and faith-based organizations. At least 30 local communities will have programs up and running within a year. HHS is providing support to the Center for Healthy Aging at the National Council on Aging (NCOA) to provide technical assistance to the state grantees and local projects.
In addition, through a grant of up to $5 million to the Center for Healthy Aging, The Atlantic Philanthropies will provide additional financial support and technical assistance in up to five states that show significant potential in developing systems to reach large numbers of older adults.
“The Atlantic Philanthropies are pleased to partner with HHS, NCOA and others in this important project that highlights our goal of empowering older people to play a greater role in their own health. We believe this important work will enable our older citizens to live better lives and will reduce health care costs,” said John R. Healy, chief executive officer of The Atlantic Philanthropies.
In praising the announcement, Assistant Secretary for Aging Josefina G. Carbonell said, “Aging services providers are in a unique position to recognize and ensure that effective prevention programs are available to older people, including under-served populations who often need the programs the most.” She added, “This exciting new initiative will once again mobilize AoA’s national aging services network, in collaboration with public health partners and other health care providers, to work with seniors in their own communities to help them adopt lifestyle and behavioral changes that can improve the quality of their lives.”
This collaboration will give special emphasis to implementing the Chronic Disease Self- Management Program developed by Stanford University and funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. It also expands on an existing grant program launched by AoA in 2003 in collaboration with the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the National Institute on Aging, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, NCOA and several private foundations including the John A. Hartford Foundation and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to begin the deployment of evidence-based prevention programs for older people in over a dozen communities.
This collaboration will give special emphasis to implementing the Chronic Disease Self- Management Program developed by Stanford University and funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. It also expands on an existing grant program launched by AoA in 2003 in collaboration with the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the National Institute on Aging, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, NCOA and several private foundations including the John A. Hartford Foundation and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to begin the deployment of evidence-based prevention programs for older people in over a dozen communities.
The Atlantic Philanthropies are dedicated to bringing about lasting changes in the lives of disadvantaged and vulnerable people. Atlantic focuses on critical social problems related to aging, disadvantaged children and youth, population health and reconciliation and human rights. Programs funded by Atlantic operate in Australia, Bermuda, Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, South Africa, the United States and Viet Nam. To learn more, please visit www.atlanticphilanthropies.org.
For more information and a program announcement about the Empowering Older People to Take More Control of their Health through Evidence-Based Prevention Programs: A Public/Private Collaborative, please visit http://www.aoa.gov/doingbus/fundopp/fundopp.asp or call 202-357-0136.
CMS Fact Sheet (06/19/06)
Release on MMA (06/19/06)
Administration Launches New Push To Enroll Low-Income Beneficiaries (06/13/06)
The Council of State Governments' Silver Society Award
Deadline - June 15, 2006!
To recognize an exemplary state program that addresses issues related to healthy aging, The Council of State Governments (CSG) will present a "Silver Society" award as part of Gov. Jim Douglas' 2006 President's Initiative. State officials and aging experts will screen qualified applicants and select one winner. The selection panel will consist of five to seven representatives from state government and nonprofit organizations such as the National Association of State Units on Aging and the American Association of Retired Persons. Gov. Douglas will present the award at CSG's Annual State Trends and Leadership Forum in December 2006.
Apply Now!
Perspectives on the Administration on Aging's Senior Medicare Patrol Program Integration Grants
Wednesday, June 14th 2006 3:00 to 4:30 pm Eastern Time
Representatives from the Administration on Aging, current Integration Grant recipients, and experts in systematic underserved population outreach will provide perspectives on grant announcement highlights and the Integration Grant application process. This teleconference, organized by The National Consumer Protection Technical Resource Center, is also an opportunity to hear from current grantees regarding their successes and challenges. There will be a question and answer period at the end of the call. Potential applicants will also be able to submit questions before the call when they register to participate.
This teleconference is open to all potential Integration Grant applicants, Senior Medicare Patrol staff and their partners. It is an audio-only format and participants with access to the internet will be able to download and print any PowerPoint slides prior to the presentation. The teleconference will be taped and an archived file will be available following the meeting for those unable to participate.
We encourage you to review the online archive of the SMP Grant Writing Tips teleconference sponsored by The Center in April. The archived file will allow you to skip material that was specific to that grant announcement. You will good tips and strategies for general grant writing presented by AoA's Grants Management Office, the SMP Program Coordinator and the Arkansas SMP Project Director. The Arkansas SMP Project is a current recipient of a regular SMP grant, as well as an integration grant.
Intended Audience: Potential Integration Grant Applicants, SMP staff and their program partners.
Please contact Michelle Becker at mbecker@smpresource.org with any questions. Michelle Becker Project Assistant The National Consumer Protection Technical Resource Center Phone: 202.331.5790 ext 1579 Toll Free Assistance: 1.877.808.2468 Email Assistance: info@smpresource.org
NASUA/National Conference on State Legislatures (0523/06)
MEDICARE ENROLLMENT ACTIVITY ON MAY 15th
Hundreds of thousands of people with Medicare took action on May 15 to enroll in Medicare prescription drug plans before the close of the initial enrollment deadline, which ended at midnight yesterday. There was also an unprecedented level of interest and enrollment leading up to the 15th as evidenced by the thousands oflocal enrollment events, more than 2.2 million calls to 1-800-MEDICARE, historic level of online enrollments and more than 15 million page views on www.medicare.gov.
Based on 872,000 enrollments from last week that have already been processed, as well as clear indications of strong enrollment activity in the final days before the deadline, significantly more than a million additional beneficiaries have Medicare drug coverage since our last announcement of more than 37 million beneficiaries with coverage on May 9.
As a result, while we are still tabulating final enrollment numbers, more than 38 million people with Medicare -- representing more than 90 percent of all beneficiaries -- now have coverage for prescription drugs.
Enrollment Update
- Overall: Since the last announcement on May 9th, 872,000 new applications have already been processed. This number does not reflect the last-minute enrollment surge that occurred over the last few days. Consequently, with hundreds of thousands of additional enrollments since that time, well over a million more beneficiaries will have coverage once all applications have been fully processed.
- We do not yet have numbers tabulated to reflect increased activity over the final weekend or online enrollments.
- Plans are submitting enrollment records ahead of a “payment cutoff” date today, and a second cutoff date next week. In addition, some beneficiaries who called at peak times are receiving return calls over the next several days to complete their enrollment.
- Online Enrollment : Since November 15, 2006, more than 3.7 million people with Medicare have enrolled online. This includes over 500,000 online enrollments since May 7, 2006 that are not yet reflected in overall enrollment counts.
- Online enrollment activity for Monday, May 15 th was extraordinary, reaching 143,875 individual enrollments. This is the largest single day online enrollment total since November 15, 2006.
- Over the weekend leading up to May 15 th, online enrollment activity reached 57,494 individual enrollments – four to five times greater than any other weekend in 2006.
- The www.Medicare.gov server, which was enhanced to quadruple capacity in anticipation of the May 15 th deadline, met the unprecedented level of demand readily.
Call Centers
- Volume of calls to 1-800-MEDICARE and use of the online enrollment center reached record levels on May 15th . This level was 58 percent higher than any other period of operation. More than 640,000 calls were handled on May 15th with an average wait time of 12 ½ minutes. Moreover, the average call times for the week ahead of the May 15th deadline was less than 4 minutes.
- In anticipation of unprecedented call volume, we staffed 1-800-MEDICARE with over 6,000 customer service representatives and supplemented with hundreds of our own expert staff. In addition, we put in place a back-up program that allowed beneficiaries to leave their name and phone number and receive a call back to enroll without a penalty.
Online Support
- Use of the online enrollment center also reached an all-time high on May 15 th, with an average of over 40,000 users accessing the website at any given time. At peak times during the day, over 50,000 active users were accessing the web site without difficulty.
- Due to a quadrupling of server capacity at www.Medicare.gov in anticipation of the initial enrollment deadline, the online enrollment center was able to handle this unprecedented level of traffic smoothly, with service maintained throughout the day.
Partner Activities
- Thousands of enrollment events were sponsored by local grassroots partners over the last weeks of the enrollment period. Since November 15 th, our grassroots partners – the network of caring – sponsored over 50,000 Medicare events and opportunities for people to get personalized assistance.
- More than 40,000 volunteers in communities across the country worked over this enrollment period counseling beneficiaries and sponsoring events to help people with Medicare.
- Thousands of our partners conducted events and stayed open over the weekend, and operated until midnight last night to assist people in making their last minute decision.
- Thanks to the national and local partners Medicare is now a permanent grassroots program, which will now turn its efforts to ensuring full use of the new prescription drug benefit and of the new and important preventive benefits, which are now a part of Medicare.
- CMS is confident that for the first time ever, 90 percent of people with Medicare have some kind of prescription drug coverage.
April 2006
Reconnect to Your Health!
A Joint Outreach Campaign for Women’s Health, May 2006
The Administration on Aging (AOA) has joined The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Office on Women’s Health (OWH) for “Reconnect to Your Health!” a Women’s Health Outreach Campaign. The purpose is to share information on women’s health, including Medicare-covered preventive services, and Medicare’s new Rx coverage. Materials are tailored for Mother's Day, May 14, 2006 and National Women's Health Week (NWHW), May 14 -20, 2006.
This is a multi-generational marketing campaign . Older women will find this information useful, and it is attractively displayed. Children of older women, grandchildren and caregivers may also wish to share these materials with that special older woman in their lives on Mother’s Day and during National Women’s Health Week. The poster and the card are appropriate for distribution to older women by community aging service providers.
AoA has posted these materials for download and printing. The poster is designed for printing on standard stock (8.5” x 11”) and the card is two-sided and sized for 4” x 6”; both can be printed in color or B&W. T he Federal Government is not printing copies of these documents.
Materials:
- AOA Women’s Health Card (PDF)
- AOA Women’s Health Poster (PDF)
For more information: OWH -- www.4woman.gov
FTA SAFETEA-LU Federal Register Notice (04/24/06)
The public comment period for the Federal Register Notice on SAFETEA-has been extended to May 22. The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) is developing guidance in the form of circulars to assist grantees in implementing the Elderly Individuals and Individuals with Disabilities Program, the Job Access and Reverse Commute Program, and the New Freedom Program beginning in FY07. By this Notice, FTA seeks additional public comment to assist us in developing circulars for these programs. This notice also includes guidance for FY06 implementation for those requirements that go into effect immediately.
The Federal Register Notice is located at SAFETEA-LU - FRN
State Medicaid Director Letter
On March 31, 2006, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services-Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, published a letter that provides guidance to States regarding non-emergency transportation program.
The letter is located at State Medicaid Director Letter.
Mobility Services for All Americans
On April 14, 2006, FTA published a Federal Register Notice (FRN) for a NEW Demonstration Grant Program for the development of Enhanced Human Service Transportation Models: Phase 1--System Development and Design. The FRN includes a request for proposals for the development and design of enhanced human service transportation models. The Department of Transportation seeks up to 10 local communities to carry out detailed development and design of coordinated human service transportation systems that utilize Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) capabilities. Proposals must be submitted to grants.gov by June 13, 2006.
The Federal Register notice is attached MSAA Grants.
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Visit us on the web at http://www.unitedweride.gov/.
Call to Action: Hispanics Mobilize on Medicare Part D (04/13/06)
Assistant Secretary Carbonell Joins CMS Administrator McClellan at 2006 CMS New Freedom Initiative Conference (04/13/06)
Remarks of U.S. Assistant Secretary for Aging, Josefina Carbonell Sixth Annual New Freedom Initiative Conference “Transforming Systems: Keys to Success” (04/101/06)
Medicare Part D: The Alzheimer Perspective (04/10/06)
The audio recording of December 2006 teleconference, “Medicare Part D: The Alzheimer Perspective” is available online at http://www.aoa.gov/alz/public/alzabout/news/alz_news.asp. This teleconference focused on emerging federal, state and local issues about the benefit, including common drugs used by people with Alzheimer’s, and available community resources to enhance decision making. Guest speakers included: Leslie Fried , Alzheimer’s Association; David Chatel, U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS); Denise Buenning, CMS; and Courtney Tierney, Area Agency on Aging of Southwestern Illinois.
Just In Case: Emergency Readiness for Older Adults and Caregivers (03/31/06)
MEDICARE FACT SHEET (03/31/06)
CENTER FOR BENEFICIARY CHOICES (03/31/06)
Benefit Counselor Toolkit American Indian/Alaska Native Elders Benefit Counselor Toolkit(03/30/06)
Senior Medicare Patrol Grant Writing Tips: Wednesday, April 5, 2006 2:30pm - 4:00pm (ET) (03/28/06)
A panel of Administration on Aging (AoA) and Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP) experts will provide their perspectives on the grant application process in this web seminar, organized by AoA's National Consumer Protection Technical Resource Center. Participants will have the opportunity to learn about current SMP program goals that are reflected in the new grant announcement, and receive technical assistance regarding grant writing in order to prevent common grant application mistakes
For Registration Information Contact :
Michelle Becker
Project Assistant
The National Consumer Protection Technical Resource Center
Phone: 202.331.5790 ext 1579
Email: mbecker@ahqa.org
The National Alliance for Caregiving and MetLife Foundation have announced a new national awards program focused on family caregiving (03/08/06)
The goal of this program is to improve the quality of life of family caregivers by recognizing and supporting the efforts of community groups that work with them. The awards will recognize the work of community agencies and other organizations that support family caregivers as a significant part of their mission. A total of six awards of $25,000 will be given in November, during National Family Caregivers Month. Applicants must be not-for-profit organizations supporting family caregivers. The deadline for submissions is May 15, 2006. Additional information can be found on www.asaging.org/caregiver
MEDICARE DRUG COVERAGE provides significant price discounts and savings (PDF) (03/2/06)
Call for Nominations are underway for the MetLife Foundation Older Volunteers Enrich America Program Awards in partnership with the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging (02/27/06)
This program will honor and disseminate the promising practices of high-performing volunteer programs. Awards of Excellence in Older Volunteer Program Management will be given to three outstanding volunteer programs whose practices in recruitment, orientation and training, retention and recognition of older volunteers may serve as models for others. Ten additional exemplary programs will be recognized with Awards of Achievement in Older Volunteer Program Management.
Nominations can be submitted online or mailed and must be received by n4a by 5:00 p.m. Eastern time, Friday, April 7, 2006. The Call for Nominations (both online and pdf) can be found at the following link: www.n4a.org/metlifeprogramawards.cfm.
For additional information, contact Leslie Swift-Rosenzweig at 202/872-0888 or lsrosenzweig@n4a.org.
HYPOTHERMIA: A COLD WEATHER HAZARD FOR SENIORS (02/15/06)
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH
NIH News
National Institute on Aging (NIA)
http://www.nia.nih.gov/
Almost everyone knows about winter dangers such as broken bones from falls on the ice. But cold weather also can cause an important, less obvious danger that affects many older Americans. Older adults are especially vulnerable to hypothermia, which can be deadly if not treated quickly. This drop in body temperature often is caused by staying in a cold place for too long.
Every year, hypothermia kills about 600 Americans, half of whom are 65 and older, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Hypothermia occurs when a person's body temperature drops below normal and stays low for a prolonged period of time. With advancing age, the body's ability to endure long periods of exposure to cold is lowered.
Older people also are at risk for hypothermia because their body's response to cold can be diminished by certain illnesses such as diabetes and some medicines, including over-the-counter cold remedies. In addition, older people may be less active and generate less body heat. As a result, they can develop hypothermia even after exposure to relatively mild cold weather or a small drop in temperature.
The best way to identify someone with hypothermia is to look for confusion or sleepiness, slowed or slurred speech, shivering or stiffness in the arms and legs, weak pulse or low blood pressure, or poor control over body movements or slow reactions. If you suspect that someone is suffering from the cold and you have a thermometer available, take his or her temperature. If it's 96 degrees or lower, call 911 for emergency help.
To prevent hypothermia, make sure your home is warm enough. Set your thermostat to at least 68 to 70 degrees. Even mildly cool homes with temperatures from 60 to 65 degrees can trigger hypothermia in older people. Because heating costs are high, the U.S. Department of Heath and Human Services has funds to help low-income families pay their heating bills. For more information, please contact the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (1-866-674-6327) or the Eldercare Locator
(1-800-677-1116).
The NIA has a free fact sheet on hypothermia.
Call 1-800-222-2225 weekdays between 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Eastern time to order "Hipotermia: El Peligro de las Bajas Temperaturas". A Spanish-speaking information specialist is available to respond to calls. This and other Spanish-language publications on healthy aging also are available on the NIA website at www.nia.nih.gov .
The NIA, part of the National Institutes of Health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, leads the federal research effort on the conditions and diseases associated with aging. The Institute is committed to making health information available to older Hispanic Americans and their families.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) -- "The Nation's Medical Research Agency" -- includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services. It is the primary Federal agency for conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and it investigates the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit http://www.nih.gov .
Medicare Information - CMS has prepared information to help partners dealing with issues related to Medicare prescription drug coverage as it pertaines to Part B vs. Part D.(02/14/06)
MEDIA ADVISORY - Release Announcement: BITS Fraud Prevention Guide: Protecting the Elderly and Vulnerable from Financial Fraud and Exploitation (WORD) (Updated: 02/14/06)
MEDICARE OFFERS TIPS WHEN ENROLLING IN PRESCRIPTION DRUG PLANS (WORD) (02/09/06)
People Magazine: Medicare Rx, Prescription Drug Coverage, Help is Here. (PDF) (02/09/06)
Authors and Producers in Aging 2006 Annual Reception (02/03/06)
Thursday, March 16, 6:00 - 7:30 p.m.
Extended Valentine’s Deadline, Feb. 14
At the 2006 Joint Conference of NCOA-ASA in Anaheim, the Editorial Boards of Generations and Aging Today will host the 14th Annual Authors and Producers in Aging Reception. This event attracts more than 100 of the field of aging’s most active leadership corps. At the reception, all conference registrants are invited to meet members of the Editorial Boards, ASA publications’ staff, ASA’s Board of Directors, many NCOA leaders -- and this year’s featured authors and producers.
REQUIREMENTS FOR SUBMISSION: The following will be considered for inclusion: books and book-length manuals, and audio, video or electronic productions at least 25 minutes long. At least one of the authors, editors or producers of these works must be a presenter at this year’s Joint Conference or in attendance as a member of the ASA or NCOA leadership boards and committees. (Authorship of only a chapter does not count. Shorter productions will be considered if they are packaged with a professionally produced book or manual.
SUBMISSIONS MUST BE NEW: Books or productions must include a copyrighted in 2006 or 2006. (Paperbacks or revised editions of earlier books issued in 2006 and 2006 will be considered.)
DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS: February 14, 2006.
To be included, please click on the following Web address and fill out the online form at: http://www.asaging.org/agingconference/jc06/authors.cfm. Paul Kleyman needs to receive them by Feb. 22 for shipping to Anaheim. Authors/producers can also bring books or productions with them to the Hilton Anaheim (Palisades Room) and drop them off at the Press Room beginning on March 15.
Secretary Leavitt Issues One-Month Progress Report on Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit (Off Site) (02/02/06)
Prevention Report - Prevention Report is a service of the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (ODPHP), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (Offf Site) (01/25/06)
Prevention Report - Prevention Report is a service of the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (ODPHP), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (Offf Site) (01/25/06)
CLASSIFYING OLDER ADULTS BASED ON CRITICAL LIFESTYLE FACTORS THAT MAY AFFECT THEIR ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURES (01/25/06)
The purpose of the RFA is to encourage the identification of the critical lifestyle factors affecting exposure and activity in older adults living in the United States (US) and to assess whether biomarkers of exposure, activity, and health are available for use in exposure, activity, and physiologically-based pharmacokinetic modeling. Increase in effort in this area is critical to understanding how chemical and biological stressors affect the aging population, and how these interact with various lifestyle factors, health conditions, and life histories of environmental and occupational exposures that characterize the older adult population. This will enhance public health by reducing uncertainties in risk assessment associated with variability in the human population at large and by providing the scientific basis for health advisories specific to older adults.
Eligible Entities: State, territory and possession, and Tribal nation of the United States, including DC, for public and private State universities and colleges, hospitals, laboratories, State and local government departments and other public or private nonprofit institutions. Universities and educational institutions must be subject to OMB Circular A-21.
Anticipated Amount of Individual Award: $300,000
Due Date: February 21, 2006
Link to Full Announcement http://www.epa.gov/nerl/opportunities/EPA-ORD-06-25951.pdf
State reimbursement for the Medicare Part D Transition (PDF) (01/25/06)
FDA Announces New Prescription Drug Information Format to Improve Patient Safety (Off Site) (01/19/06)
AMD Alliance International Proposal (PDF) - AMD Alliance International White Paper on Quality of Life with AMD. (01/18/06)
Care for the Family Caregiver: A Place to Start (01/17/06)
The National Alliance for Caregiving (NAC) and the HIP Health Plan of New York have prepared a new resouce for family caregivers that was released at the White House Conference on Aging last month. Care for the Family Caregiver: A Place to Start can be found at:
NEARLY 24 MILLION MEDICARE BENEFICIARIES NOW HAVE PRESCRIPTION DRUG COVERAGE (01/17/06)
2.6 Million More Sign Up for Stand-Alone Coverage in last 30 days
Nearly 24 million Medicare beneficiaries now have prescription drug coverage, including more than 2.6 million people who signed up for the new stand-alone prescription drug coverage in the last 30 days. This number comes on top of the 1 million who enrolled in stand-alone plans in the first 30 days of the program.
"Enrollment in the new Medicare drug benefit is exceeding our expectations and keeping us on track to reach our goal of 28 to 30 million enrollees in the first year," HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt said. "We are filling a million prescriptions a day, and seniors are saying the benefit is saving them money."
While the system is working for most seniors, Leavitt said some seniors are experiencing problems getting their prescriptions filled and added, "we are working as quickly as possible to resolve these problems, and no senior should leave the pharmacy without the prescription drugs they need."
"While most of the 2.6 million new enrollments occurred with the enrollment surge at the end of December, people with Medicare have continued to sign up steadily since then," said Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Mark B. McClellan, M.D., Ph.D. "Since November, 1.6 million have signed up on-line, and the on-line enrollment center at www.medicare.gov has been processing an average of over 20,000 enrollments a day through the end of last week," he said.
"Many seniors are signing up for coverage on-line, often with the help of thousands of local partner organizations or family members, and many more continue to enroll over the phone and using paper applications as well," Dr.
McClellan said. "Hundreds of thousands of seniors are saving money every day, and we are working around the clock to make sure all seniors who participate can take full advantage of the benefit."
The overall drug benefit enrollment figures as of Jan. 13 are:
- Stand-alone Prescription Drug Plans: about 3.6 million (2.6 million
since Dec. 13)
- Medicare/Medicaid: 6.2 million (including 600,000 in Medicare
Advantage plans).
- Medicare Advantage: 4.5 million (plus 600,000 in Medicare/Medicaid)
- Retiree coverage: About 6.4 million retirees are enrolled in the
Medicare retiree subsidy. Also, as stated last month, about 1 million retirees are in employer coverage that incorporates or supplements Medicare's coverage. Another estimated 500,000 retirees are continuing in coverage that is as good as Medicare's.
- TRICARE/ FEHB retirees: 3.1 million.
Evidence-Based Disability and Disease Prevention for Elders: Translating Research into Community-Based Programs (01/17/06)
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and the Administration on Aging (AoA), in collaboration with CDC, NIA, and CMS, have invited 10 state teams to a special two-day training program to be held February 14-16, 2006 in Atlanta, Georgia. The workshop, entitled “Evidence-Based Disability and Disease Prevention for Elders: Translating Research into Community-Based Programs,” will bring together state and local officials in aging and health to promote the use of evidence-based disease prevention approaches in community programs.
“By partnering with AHRQ, CDC, NIA, and CMS to provide this workshop, we at AoA further reinforce our commitment to evidence-based disease prevention for older people in the United States,” said Assistant Secretary for Aging Josefina Carbonell. “The make-up of the participating State teams reflects a concerted effort to encourage state and local professionals in both health and aging to work together to proactively plan for the challenges associated with an aging population that includes an increasing number of people with chronic health conditions.”
Participants will not only learn about existing successful evidence-based programs, but also how to apply research-based evidence as a standard practice in policy and program development. At a minimum, State teams must include representatives from the State Unit on Aging, the State Health Department Chronic Disease Director's Office, an Area Agency on Aging, and a local community aging service provider organization. Following is a list of the States that have been selected to participate in the 2006 workshop:
• Arizona
• Hawaii
• Iowa
• Maryland
• Michigan
• Rhode Island
• South Carolina
• Vermont
• Washington
• Wisconsin
More information about the 2006 AHRQ/AoA Workshop:
Medicare Partner Letter - Mark B. McClellan, MD, PhD (PDF) (01/17/06)
FDA Cautions Consumers Against Filling U.S. Prescriptions Abroad - Drugs With Same or Similar Names May Contain Different Active Ingredients Than in U.S. and Pose Health Risks. (Off Site) (01/13/06)
HHS Provides Energy Assistance Funds To Help Low-Income Families (Off Site) (01/06/06)
Disclaimer: References from this web page or from any of the information services sponsored by AoA to any non-governmental entity, product, service or information does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by the Administration on Aging or any of its employees. AoA is not responsible for the contents of any "off-site" web pages referenced from this server. Although our page includes links to sites including or referencing good collections of information, AoA does not endorse ANY specific products or services provided by public or private organizations. By using this site, the user takes full responsibility for any use of these links.
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Dept. of Health & Human Services
