Medicare chief touts new drug program- 10/11/05

Article from the Oakland Tribune Online

Seeking to drum up support for a massive new drug benefit for seniors rolling out in the fall, the administrator for the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services swung through the Bay Area on Wednesday. Dr. Mark McClellan stopped at the Asian Cultural Center in Oakland's Chinatown and in San Francisco's Mission District to promote the drug program - the first permanent drug benefit for the nation's 34 million eligible seniors. The new drug benefit, known as Medicare Part D, is a voluntary program that will cover on average about $1,300 in drug costs to Medicare recipients, with a monthly premium of about $32. McClellan urged seniors to "begin to have one-on-one conversations with people closest to you," to discuss the benefit.