[Important Dates: Jan. 1, 2006 - Coverage begins for people who have joined by Dec. 31, 2005; May 15, 2006 - Last day to join a plan offering coverage for 2006; Nov. 15 - Dec. 31, 2006 - Next opportunity to enroll]
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WebWire® | More Than 11 Million Medicare Beneficiaries To Be Covered For Prescription Drugs As of January 1, 2006: "More Than 11 Million Medicare Beneficiaries To Be Covered For Prescription Drugs As of January 1, 2006

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
12/22/2005 12:13:08 PM

More than 21 million seniors and people with disabilities will get prescription drug coverage as of Jan. 1, 2006, HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt said today. The number includes more than one million Americans who signed up for the new stand-alone coverage in the first 28 days it was offered. Another 500,000 are expected to be enrolled by the end of January.

“The new prescription drug benefit is off to a strong start,” Secretary Leavitt said. “With more than 21 million participating in coverage as of January 1, we are well on the way of meeting our goal of 28-30 million enrolled in the first year of the program. While there is still much work to do, we are encouraged by the early results.”

“Interest in the drug coverage is strong, and these numbers do show that people are getting questions answered and making decisions. For people who have decided "