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November 21, 2005
Dear Medicaid-Eligible Recipient:
This letter is to notify you of coming changes to your Medicaid
benefits. Beginning on January 1, 2006, Medicare will help pay for your prescription drugs
instead of Medicaid, except for a small number of drugs not included in the new Medicare drug
benefit. This new benefit is known as Medicare Part D. Medicaid will still pay for your other health
care costs that Medicare does not cover.
Wisconsin Medicaid will only continue to cover certain drugs that are
excluded from Part D coverage. These drugs are benzodiazepines, barbiturates, and
over-the-counter (OTC) drugs currently covered by Wisconsin Medicaid.
Starting January 1, 2006, you will need to take your Medicare Part D
card to the pharmacy in order to get your prescriptions filled.
Medicare has contracted with private companies to run Medicare Part D.
These private companies are called Medicare drug plans. You may enroll in the
Medicare drug plan of your choice. If you do not choose a Medicare drug plan on your own, Medicare
will enroll you in a plan.
In the past couple of weeks, you should have also received a letter
from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (the federal agency that runs the Medicare
program) telling you that your prescription drug coverage is changing. That letter tells you the name
of the Medicare drug plan that you will be enrolled in if you do not choose and join a Medicare
drug plan on your own by December 31, 2005.
We strongly encourage you to look carefully at the Medicare drug plan
that you will be enrolled in to make sure it covers the drugs you take and that you can get your
drugs from a pharmacy near you. If it does not cover the drugs you take or if you cannot get
your drugs from your preferred pharmacy, you should look at the list of other Medicare drug
plans available to you and join a plan that works best for you.
A list of the Medicare drug plans available to you is attached. With
any of these plans, you will pay only a small copayment amount each time you fill a prescription
covered by the plan. You will not pay a monthly premium or a deductible.
For questions about Medicare Part D or Medicare drug plans, you may
contact any of the following:
- The Medicare program at 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) or
www.medicare.gov/.
- Wisconsin Prescription Drug Helpline at 1-866-456-8211 for Medicare
beneficiaries age 60 and older with questions about Medicare Part D. This Helpline is
sponsored by the Coalition of Wisconsin Aging Groups’ Elder Law Center.
- Disability Drug Benefit Helpline at 1-800-926-4862 for persons under age
60 who receive Medicare coverage due to a disability. This Helpline is
sponsored by the Wisconsin Coalition for Advocacy.
- Your County Department on Aging if you are age 60 and older and you
would like to speak to an elderly benefit specialist.
If you have questions about your Medicaid coverage, please contact
Recipient Services at
1-800-362-3002 or 1-608-221-5720. Sincerely,
Mark B. Moody Administrator Attachment
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Medicare Part D Information | 
