Merck and other companies are establishing guidelines for Medicare Part D and PAP eligibility: other companies are taking a "wait and see" approach.

Keeping track of PAP's and Part D policies is difficult as manufacturer responses are shifting and not in agreement. Merck and Co. has announced that uninsured individuals will still be eligible for its patient assistance programs even if they qualify for Medicare Part D drug assistance but choose not enroll.

Further, individuals who do not meet the PAP criteria, including Medicare beneficiaries who enroll in a Medicare drug plan, may still be eligible for Merck PAP assistance if they and their physicians can show that there are special medical or financial hardships. The income guidelines for people applying for these special exceptions are: below $39,200 for one person, $52,800 for couples and $80,000 for a family of four.

Pifzer, Inc., Bristol-Myers Squibb and Sonofi-Aventis, among others, are also making their PAPs available to patients who are eligible for the Medicare drug benefit but do not enroll in a Medicare drug plan.

Eli Lilly and Co will not extend PAPs to individuals who are eligible for the Medicare drug benefit even if they do not enroll. 3M Pharmaceuticals is making decisions on a case by case basis.

Other companies are postponing their decisions until May 15th when the first enrollment period for Medicare drug programs closes. Schering Plough, Abbott Laboratories, GlaxoSmithKline and AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals are in this group.

NeedyMeds continues to update Part D policy information which can be found in the Eligibility Guidelines and Notes section of the PAP Program pages.

To read more about the Merck announcement go to: http://www.merck.com/newsroom/press_releases/corporate/2006_0302.html.

Created 3/15/06