A new report suggests Part D may not succeed in enrolling as many seniors as organizers had hoped, despite projections to the contrary. About half of seniors (53 percent) said they have no plans to sign up for the benefit. Healthcare research group DSS released its conclusions yesterday. Meanwhile, health officials in Baltimore raised eyebrows--and prompted wisecracks--from journalists covering the Medicare Part D roll out last month when they announced that they would use the city's emergency disease tracking system to monitor the program's first weeks for signs of trouble. So far, however, it seems to be working. Baltimore appears to be reporting far fewer problems than other major metropolitan areas, despite having a high rate of dual eligibles at risk for complications.
- see this report from DSS Research
- see this report from the Baltimore Department of Health