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Puzzling Through Medicare's Discount Cards

Many senior citizens right now are facing a tough decision: whether to sign up for the new temporary discount card under Medicare. It's one of two parts to the prescription drug benefit Congress added to Medicare; by 2006 there will be a drug insurance program.

The discount cards take effect on June 1, and Medicare officials are working hard to make sure people can get answers from the Medicare Web site and telephone service. Even so, there are dozens of cards to choose from, and as many seniors and advocacy groups continue to find, it's not an easy decision to make.

NPR's Joanne Silberner attends a class on how to pick a card, offered by the Fairfax Area Agency on Aging in Virginia, and reports on challenges to signing up.

Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Joanne Silberner is a health policy correspondent for National Public Radio. She covers medicine, health reform, and changes in the health care marketplace.

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SOMOS CONNECTICUT is an initiative from Connecticut Public, the state’s local NPR and PBS station, to elevate Latino stories and expand programming that uplifts and informs our Latino communities. Visit CTPublic.org/latino for more stories and resources. For updates, sign up for the SOMOS CONNECTICUT newsletter at ctpublic.org/newsletters.

SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.