Federal officials are extending the Dec. 7 deadline for three days for some people who have had trouble enrolling in a Medicare prescription drug or private health plan because of the crush of last-minute sign-ups.
A spokesman for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid said the 鈥渋ncreased flexibility鈥� is limited only to seniors who contact any of several sources of assistance on or before the close of business Wednesday and leave messages because they are unable to get through to sign up. Those groups include: counselors with the government-funded (SHIP), and other Medicare-partner organizations such as the Medicare Rights Center, local agencies on aging, and the National Council on Aging. Calls to Medicare鈥檚 toll-free information line, 800-633-4227 can be made until midnight tonight. If seniors leave messages, then starting on Thursday, those beneficiaries will be called back and will receive assistance. All 鈥渃all-back enrollments鈥� must be completed by 12:01 a.m. Sunday, the spokesman said.
Seniors can only get extra time if they get on a call-back list. If they reach a live person, today鈥檚 deadline applies and they should be prepared to make a decision.
鈥淚t is critical that people with Medicare who want to make a change in their coverage act today,鈥� said Marilyn Tavenner, Medicare鈥檚 acting administrator. 鈥淲e are being as flexible as possible but time is of the essence.鈥�
But there was some confusion today. Several people who called the Medicare information number on Wednesday for details about the extension said they were told there would be none. As recently as 1 p.m., a recorded message simply reminded callers about Wednesday鈥檚 deadline: 鈥淲e are currently experiencing longer than normal wait times as callers decide about their plan choices before the end of the open enrollment period on Dec. 7. If your call is not related to open enrollment, you may wish to call back next week.鈥�
A puzzled SHIP counselor in Massachusetts didn鈥檛 receive instructions on how the extension would work until the early Wednesday afternoon.
鈥淲e are committed to providing Medicare beneficiaries with the information and time they need to make these important decisions about their care,鈥� said Brian Cook, a Medicare spokesman.
Gina Upchurch, executive director of Senior PharmAssist, which helps seniors in Durham, N.C., choose drug plans and Medicare Advantage health plans, said many seniors have been seeking help in recent days. 鈥淥ur phones have been ringing off the hook,鈥� she said.
Some SHIP counselors said the late rush has been complicated by sporadic problems with the government鈥檚 鈥減lan finder鈥� website and call center. The website allows a user to type in a Zip code, drugs, and preferred pharmacy, and the plan finder produces a list of plans available in the area that cover those drugs.
But Medicare officials denied that any technical glitches affected the decision to extend the enrollment period. However, officials assured SHIP counselors in e-mails on Monday and Tuesday that website problems would be resolved.
More people enrolled on Monday than on any other day since enrollment for 2012 plans began Oct. 15, according to Medicare officials.
The 2010 health law mandated that聽 the traditional enrollment season. In the past, beneficiaries had until Dec. 31 to make their choices.
Upchurch said that in the past few days, about two dozen appointments at Senior PharmAssist were canceled when counselors couldn鈥檛 use the plan finder because it was slow or not functional at times.
In Arlington, Va., SHIP counselor John Glowacky encountered similar problems when he tried to help his clients.
鈥淵esterday the website was absolutely worthless,鈥� he said Tuesday evening. 鈥淵ou couldn鈥檛 do your job. Today was smooth sailing, and we鈥檒l see what tomorrow brings.鈥�
But some seniors鈥� advocates said all beneficiaries should be entitled to the extra enrollment time.
鈥淭here ought to be recourse across the board, not just for those who were fortunate enough to find assistance from SHIPs,鈥� said Judith Stein, executive director of the Center for Medicare Advocacy, a consumer group based in Conn.
Contact Susan Jaffe at Jaffe.khn@gmail.com