HARRISBURG, (PRNewswire) — PACE Plus Medicare – the nation’s most comprehensive prescription assistance package for older adults – will go into effect on Sept. 1, a change that should be seamless for most PACE/PACENET recipients who have enrolled, Secretary of Aging Nora Dowd Eisenhower said Wednesday.
Under PACE Plus Medicare, more than 150,000 PACE/PACENET cardholders have been enrolled into one of several Medicare Part D prescription drug plans to supplement their PACE/PACENET coverage. Enrollees will enjoy the best features of both programs because PACE Plus will fill gaps in the federal Medicare Part D coverage including the so-called “doughnut hole.” Cardholders should receive uninterrupted coverage and should not experience any disruption in service.
New Medicare Part D cards are being issued for the PACE Plus benefits that become available on Sept. 1. That means that PACE/PACENET cardholders will have two prescription cards – one from PACE and the second from a Medicare Part D drug plan. Cardholders should remember these tips:
— On your initial visit to your pharmacy on or after Sept. 1, take your new Medicare Part D card and your PACE/PACENET card and show both cards to your pharmacist.
— In the unlikely event that your pharmacist has difficulty billing your medication to one of these programs, immediately ask your pharmacist to contact PACE by phone. You should stay at the pharmacy counter while the situation is resolved.
In mid-July, 164,000 PACE/PACENET cardholders were informed by mail which Medicare Part D plan had been selected for them, based on the medications they use and their pharmacy choice. A vast majority of cardholders – nearly 98 percent – accepted the plan recommended for them by PACE.
Funded by the Pennsylvania Lottery, PACE and PACENET currently provide low-cost prescription assistance to nearly 312,000 Pennsylvanians age 65 and older. PACE now covers over 184,000 older adults and PACENET covers nearly 128,000.
Cardholders with additional questions about PACE Plus Medicare should call PACE/PACENET, toll-free, at 1-800-225-7223. They may also visit the Department of Aging’s Web site at http://www.aging.state.pa.us and click on the blue and gold PACE card or choose the link titled “PACE Plus Medicare.”