Medicare Part D Plans Are Giving Out Inaccurate and Incomplete Information

The information being given at Medicare Part D plan call centers is often incomplete and incorrect according to a recent report from government investigators.

The Government Accountability Office, a nonpartisan investigative arm of Congress, placed 900 calls to 10 of the largest private Medicare Part D plans. The result was painted a dismal picture. Two-thirds of the calls were not answered completely or accurately. Two companies failed to give accurate or complete information 75% of the time.

For some of the calls, operators at the same company gave different answers to the same question. These insurers typically offer two or three plans in each state. These plans have different premiums, co-payments and drug lists (formularies). According to the report, the call centers for these companies were often unable to accurately identify the least expensive plan and calculate its annual cost. The customer service representatives who did identify the least costly plan usually provided quotes that were less than the actual cost.

Many of the calls were referred to the Medicare toll-free number. Unfortunately, a report from the Government Accountability Office in May concluded that the information from the Medicare operators often provided confusing, inaccurate or incomplete information.

Mark McClellan, administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, in response to the recent report stated, "Medicare has never required drug plan call centers to provide detailed information about the prices of specific combinations of drugs." This seems to be a serious over-sight since seniors are expected to select the best plan based on the medicine currently prescribed for them.

Read the full GAO report by clicking HERE.

Created 7/12/06