After three weeks, response to the new Medicare Part D Drug Benefit program is, to say the least, underwhelming.
Despite the promotional blitz accompanying the plan's November 15 roll-out, only 660,000 of an estimated 4.6 million eligible senior citizens have signed up.
Government officials argue that no conclusions should be drawn at this early date, but critics of the program say it is evident the plan is too complicated for most seniors and their families to grasp.
Many predict the enrollment numbers will not improve significantly until the government simplifies the program.
Participating Medicare recipients will begin receiving the new benefit, which could be worth an average of $4,000 a year, January 1, 2006.
The drug benefit is limited to seniors earning less than $14,355 a year and with less than $10,000 in assets. Qualifying couples much earn now more than $19,245 annually and have less than $20,000 in assets.
The National Council on the Aging is among the organizations working to encourage participation. NCOA President James Firman told the Los Angeles Times the initial enrollment figures are disappointing, but maybe not all that surprising.
"We knew it was going to be a long, hard road to find and enroll the people who are eligible for the extra help," Firman said.
