Medicare Today Launches National Medicare Prescription Drug Enrollment Awareness Campaign

PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Health care leaders today announced a national campaign to raise awareness about the 2009 Medicare prescription drug coverage open enrollment period, which runs from November 15 to December 31, 2008.

The campaign is designed to encourage seniors to sign up for prescription drug plans under Medicare's Part D program if they have not already done so, and to remind those seniors who are already enrolled in the program to review their current plan and compare it with other available plans.

"It is extremely important for beneficiaries, especially those with limited income, to take advantage of the choice, convenience and cost savings that Medicare's prescription drug plans offer them," said Mary R. Grealy, president of the Healthcare Leadership Council, a coalition of the nation's leading health care companies and organizations. "This national campaign will help make sure seniors are aware that now is the time to enroll in a plan or review their current Medicare drug plan."

The campaign will include television advertising, media coverage and grassroots outreach activities and will highlight the high satisfaction rates among beneficiaries currently enrolled in Part D plans.

Heading into its fourth year, seniors continue to give the program high marks, with 90 percent reporting that they were satisfied with their plan, up 12 points since the beginning of the program, according to a survey released today by Medicare Today, a project of the Healthcare Leadership Council and conducted in September by KRC Research.

"This survey is yet more evidence that the Medicare prescription drug benefit provides seniors with the flexibility they need to choose a plan that's right for them," said former U.S. Senator and Medicare Today Co-Chairman John Breaux.

According to the survey, in addition to high satisfaction rates, beneficiaries report that they're saving money under Medicare Part D prescription drug plans, which have been available to beneficiaries since 2006. Prior to the addition of Part D coverage, millions of Medicare beneficiaries had coverage for hospital and doctor expenses, but not prescription drug expenses. Most seniors agree that their plan is delivering what it said it would when they signed up, and nearly eight in 10 seniors say they are better off now than before the program. Eighty-six percent say their co-payments are affordable, 85 percent say their monthly premiums are affordable, 91 percent say their plan offers a good value, and 71 percent say they've lowered their prescription drug spending.

"During these tough economic times, I'm pleased that the program can provide savings for seniors and that they have the ability to choose the plan that best suits their needs," said former U.S. Senator and Medicare Today Co-Chairman Trent Lott.

"Having access to your medicines is a critical part of healthy aging for all seniors and the Medicare Part D benefit makes that possible," said Dr. Jane L. Delgado, President and CEO of the National Alliance for Hispanic Health (the Alliance). "It is critical that before the deadline of December 31, 2008 all seniors who do not yet have prescription drug coverage sign up for Medicare Part D for their health and their family's piece of mind."

The Alliance announced the availability of help with understanding Medicare benefits through the Alliance's 1-866-SU-FAMILIA (1-866-783-2645) National Hispanic Family Health Helpline. Callers get free reliable and confidential health information in Spanish and English. Bilingual health promotion advisors can also refer callers to a local health care provider in their community and callers can get a free bilingual guide to diabetes and their Medicare benefits.

Current and potential beneficiaries can speak with a Medicare counselor for information about the benefit by calling 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227). To prepare for a discussion with a counselor, beneficiaries should have on hand a list of the prescription drugs they take, including the dosage and frequency, and a preferred pharmacy.

The Medicare Prescription Drug Plan Finder and Medicare Options Compare are two new tools available on www.medicare.gov to assist current beneficiaries and those eligible in process of choosing a plan or comparing a current plan to another option. These tools provide detailed information on all the available plans and the means to compare them based on cost, coverage, service area, and quality.

The Social Security Administration can also provide assistance for those who may qualify financially for extra help with the cost of prescription drugs. Medicare beneficiaries interested in applying for extra help or those who have previously applied and want to check their status can call 1-800-772-1213 to contact their local Social Security office.

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University System of Georgia Fall Enrollment Increases 4.8 Percent

Enrollment Reaches All-Time High Approaching 283,000 Students

When the University System of Georgia (USG) Board of Regents adopted a new strategic plan in August 2007, the plan predicted an additional 100,000 students enrolling in Georgia’s 35 public colleges and universities by 2020. The numbers in the board’s fall 2008 enrollment report, released today, show the system is on track to reach and perhaps surpass that prediction, with a record 282,978 students.

And 46,711 of those students this fall are first-time freshmen. This group increased 9.6 percent over fall 2007 and is evidence of the increasing demand on public higher education resources by Georgians.

The overall numbers represent a gain of 12,956 students from fall 2007, or an increase of 4.8 percent. This follows a gain of 10,077 students from fall 2006 to fall 2007. To put the gains in perspective, the USG has grown by 32,319 students, or 12.9 percent, in the last five years.

“We have added the equivalent of another University of Georgia to the system over the past five years,” said USG Chancellor Erroll B. Davis Jr. “This represents significant growth, during a period in which we are challenged to serve more students at a high level of quality with diminished resources.” For example, a new USG analysis shows that the number of faculty and staff in the system to serve students has decreased by 18 percent per 1000 students from fall 2000 to fall 2007, while over the same period, enrollment increased 31.5 percent.

An analysis of the numbers shows two key developments, says Dr. Cathie Mayes Hudson, vice chancellor for Research and Policy Analysis. “First is that the regents’ strategic goal of meeting capacity by increasing enrollment at the state and two-year colleges is producing results. And second is that the System increasingly reflects the state population in terms of the diversity of the student body.”

In the first example, Hudson is referring to a decision by the board to increase access to the System’s eight state colleges and eight two-year colleges. State college enrollment grew by 6.1 percent, while two-year college enrollment grew by 8.4 percent, both well above the USG average of 4.8 percent. Some of the biggest enrollment percentage gains were at these types of institutions. For example, from fall 2007 to fall 2008, enrollment growth was in the double-digits at:

Atlanta Metropolitan College, up 19.1 percent to 2,241 students;
Bainbridge College, up 16.2 percent to 3,091 students;
East Georgia College, up 28.6 percent to 2,555 students;
Gainesville State College, up 10.2 percent to 8,238 students; and
Georgia Gwinnett College, up 98.4 percent to 1,563 students.

Two state universities also have experienced double digit growth from fall 2007 to fall 2008. Fort Valley State University is up 21 percent to 3,106 students and Georgia Southwestern State University is up 13 percent to 2,717 students.

But overall in the System’s 13 state universities, growth was smaller, at 5 percent, which is in line with the Strategic Plan that calls for more modest enrollment growth in this sector. And at the two regional universities – Georgia Southern University and Valdosta State University, enrollment grew 4 percent from fall 2007 to fall 2008, for a combined student body of 29,254.

Enrollment increased at the four research universities by just 2.6 percent – again, right in line with the objectives of the Strategic Plan to shift enrollment to the System’s four- and two-year institutions. Among the four research universities, Georgia State University posted the largest percentage increase, of 4 percent, to a fall 2008 enrollment of 28,229 students. Right behind Georgia State in the percentage increase in enrollment is the Georgia Institute of Technology, with a 3.6 percent increase in enrollment, to 19,424 students. The Medical College of Georgia saw its enrollment increase 2 percent, to 2,919, and the University of Georgia’s enrollment grew 1 percent, to 34,180 students.

The increasing diversity of the USG student population is central to the board’s second goal in its strategic plan. According to 2000 U.S. Census data, Georgia’s African-American population was 29.2 percent, and Hispanic population was 5.3 percent, with the Asian population at 2.4 percent. The numbers in the fall 2008 enrollment report reflect progress in increasing access to the USG by underserved groups, said Hudson.

African-American enrollment increased by 7.5 percent, or 4,878 additional students from fall 2007 to fall 2008. African-American enrollment now stands at 69,771 students, or 24.7 percent of the total enrollment. And African-American student enrollment growth rates have exceeded the total student growth rates for several years: the five-year growth rate is 18.7 percent, and the 10-year rate is an increase of 60.7 percent.

Likewise, the report shows Hispanic enrollment up 12 percent in fall 2008 over last year, to a total this fall of 9,874 students. This year’s gains mirror a 12.6 percent increase from fall 2006 to fall 2007, and reflect the continued growth in the number of Hispanics seeking greater opportunities through higher education. Hispanics now represent 3.5 percent of all USG students.

The enrollment of Asian/Pacific Islander students increased by 6.5 percent, or 1,087 students from fall 2007 to fall 2008 to a total of 17,805 students. This group represents 6.3 percent of all students.

Looking at gender, 57.7 percent – 163,320 students – of the USG student body is female. However, the growth rate for male students, at 5.3 percent from fall 2007 to fall 2008, exceeded that of female students, at 4.4 percent. Eleven USG institutions have more than 65 percent female enrollment.

The system’s full-time equivalent enrollment (FTE) for fall 2008 is 247,168, an increase of 5.1 percent over fall 2007, adding 11,982 more FTE students. This increase is above the overall enrollment increase of 4.8 percent, which indicates that more students are taking additional hours of courses, compared to students in fall 2007.

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Summer Enrollment at UGA Increases to 15,608 Students

Summer enrollment at the University of Georgia is up by 306 students from a year ago. Total enrollment for summer semester is 15,608, a 2 percent increase over last summer’s enrollment of 15,302 students.

A total of 14,702 students is attending summer classes at the Athens campus, an increase of 148 from last year. The figure includes 10,004 undergraduates, 4,316 graduate students and 382 students enrolled in the professional schools of law, pharmacy and veterinary medicine.

Total enrollment at UGA extended campuses totals 673 students, up nearly 34 percent over last year’s total, which was 501.

Graduate enrollment at UGA’s campus in Gwinnett County totals 451, an increase of 67 students and a 17.4 percent increase over last summer.

Enrollment at UGA’s extended campus in Buckhead includes 76 students in the evening M.B.A. program and 64 students in the Executive M.B.A. program.

Twenty-eight students are enrolled at UGA’s Tifton campus, which offers only undergraduate courses, up from 11 last year.

Enrollment at the Griffin campus, which offers both undergraduate and graduate programs, is 54 students, a 108 percent increase over last summer. The figure includes 25 undergraduate students, up from 10 last summer and 29 graduate, up from 16 last year.

An additional 233 students are enrolled in UGA independent study programs, a 5.7 percent decrease from last summer.