As the Nov. 15 start date for enrollment in the new Medicare prescription drug benefit approaches, many adult children will be asked by their parents to assist with understanding the new plan's complexities and deciding whether to sign up, a Duke University expert on care for the aging says.
"We see this as part of the larger issue of adult children doing more to help their parents with long-term, tough and complex decisions," said Lisa Gwyther, associate clinical professor and director of the Family Support Program of the Duke Center for the Study of Aging and Human Development. "Medicare Part D is one of the most confusing new decisions. It's not well understood. People are afraid to make a decision that they might not want to live with, and, at the same time, they are equally afraid of losing the opportunity to enroll in a program they may really need."
Gwyther said the new plan will help many low-income seniors. However, concerns have already arisen. The benefit is open to every American eligible for Medicare assistance, but users must make a variety of decisions. Working through the number of private plans available in each location may be difficult, Gwyther said.
And the potential for fraud is real, she said. "Enrollment hasn't even started, and people are being contacted by companies and individuals who are making benefit offers with fraudulent intent," she said.
With Americans living longer, the trend is for adult children to spend more time assisting their parents with complicated issues. The Medicare plan simply falls into this general pattern, Gwyther said.
"What we've learned is that adult children are often experienced problem-solvers," she said. "They can gather information, weigh options and make decisions. However, they may get stuck sorting through too much information that isn't relevant to their family's current situation. They also may be uncomfortable explaining these issues to someone close to them like a parent who may not understand why a decision must be made."
Gwyther said a number of resources currently exist to help adult children and their parents make an informed decision on the new plan. Two of the better sources for information, she said, are the BenefitsCheckUp website of the National Council on Aging; the Medicare website, or 1-800-MEDICARE; and the Seniors' Health Insurance Information Program website, or 1-800-443-9354.