WellCare to Offer PDP Plans in Miss., S.C., W.V.

Tampa, Fla.-based WellCare Health Plans Inc. has been selected by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to provide prescription drug plan coverage to Medicare beneficiaries in South Carolina, Mississippi and West Virginia.

In addition, for most of the 10 million individuals who qualify for financial assistance, one of WellCare’s PDP plans will be offered with no monthly plan premium, no deductible, no coverage gap and lower drug co-payments in 49 states and the District of Columbia.

“We are pleased to receive approval from CMS to offer affordable prescription drug coverage to Medicare beneficiaries,” Todd S. Farha, WellCare president and chief executive officer said. “We look forward to telling Medicare beneficiaries about our three PDP offerings that could help the average American save up to 50 percent on their prescription drug costs.”

All three of WellCare’s PDP offerings feature no deductibles so beneficiaries can enjoy drug savings immediately. In addition, all three plans offer a CMS-approved list of drugs and access to WellCare’s nationwide network of participating pharmacies.

“Our plans have monthly premiums ranging from $29.22 to $53.70, the lowest of which is a nearly 20 percent savings compared to the state average premium of $36.39,” Heath Schiesser, WellCare’s PDP business president said. “In fact, for those who are on both Medicare and Medicaid and for many of those who qualify for financial assistance, this plan is available for no monthly plan premium.”

WellCare and other plans must wait until October to provide additional 2006 benefit information. However, Medicare beneficiaries can register now to receive information in October by calling a special WellCare hotline at 866-800-6027 (TTY users call 877-247-6272) between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. EST, Monday-Friday or by visiting http://www.wellcare.com/ . The information will include a user-friendly guide that simplifies the PDP program along with helpful tools such as a drug-cost savings worksheet, tips on selecting the best plan, a sample list of covered drugs and a partial list of WellCare’s network of over 40,000 participating pharmacies nationwide.

“Prescription drug coverage is critical to millions of Americans,” Ace Hodgin, M.D., an internist and WellCare’s chief medical officer said. “Our plans will help people get the prescriptions they need and save them money.”

Nationally, the approximately six million individuals who qualify for both Medicare and Medicaid currently receive their drug benefits via Medicaid. Starting on Jan. 1, 2006, the federal government has selected PDP companies to provide these drug benefits. In the middle of Oct. 2005, these individuals will be assigned to a PDP such as WellCare. If these individuals do not choose another plan by Dec. 31, 2005, they will be auto-enrolled into a PDP to ensure they receive the full range of Medicare Part D benefits.

In addition, it is estimated that four million Medicare beneficiaries who do not qualify for full Medicaid will qualify to receive financial assistance and would be eligible for a WellCare plan with a low or no monthly plan premium.