HHS WEEKLY REPORT
September 26 - October 2, 2004

THIS ISSUE AVAILABLE ONLINE WITH EXPANDED INFORMATION AND PHOTOS AT:
   http://www.hhs.gov/news/newsletter/weekly

IN THIS ISSUE:
1) Nearly Two Million Low-Income Americans on Medicare to Get Drug Discount Cards
2) Secretary of Health and Human Services Urging Americans to Get Influenza Vaccine
3) Prevention: Secretary Thompson Mobilizes Communities to Help Eliminate Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health through a Nationwide Call to Action to Visit a Health Professional
4) Science in the News: NIH Opens New Clinical Research Hospital
5) Medicare Minute: Medicare Announces New Ways To Help Low-Income Beneficiaries Get Big Savings Using Medicare Drug Discount Cards
6) Secretary Thompson's Public Schedule

Nearly Two Million Low-Income Americans on Medicare to Get Drug Discount Cards

HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson announced on Wednesday that nearly two million low-income Americans on Medicare will soon be automatically eligible for prescription discounts through the Medicare Drug Discount card and qualify for an additional $1,200 in savings over the next 14 months.

The Medicare beneficiaries will receive a drug discount card in the mail next month, which they can begin to use immediately to get savings at pharmacies, Secretary Thompson said. In addition to receiving the card, beneficiaries will also receive instructions on how to activate the $1,200 benefit. To do so recipients will have to verify by phone that they meet income guidelines and do not have other drug coverage.

"Seniors with limited means who are struggling to pay for their medicines can save right away " Secretary Thompson said. "We're making it automatic, so those who qualify for the $1,200 credit get it as soon as possible."

The 1.8 million Medicare beneficiaries getting cards can activate the $1,200 additional benefit by calling the randomly selected sponsor or by calling 1-800-MEDICARE. They also will have the option of choosing a different sponsor's card. If they do choose another card, they will be automatically dis-enrolled from the randomly assigned card.

The letters will go to people who receive state help to pay Medicare premiums in what are known as Medicare Savings Programs (Qualified Medicare Beneficiary, Specified Low-income Medicare Beneficiary, and Qualifying Individual). Those in the Medicare Savings Programs meet the income tests to make them eligible for the credit.

"We are taking aggressive steps to provide literally thousands of dollars in help now through the drug card program," Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Mark B. McClellan, M.D., Ph.D. said. "There's no reason that anyone who pays for medicines out of their own pocket should choose between paying for drugs and paying for other basic necessities."

The potential credit is $600 per year between now and the end of 2005. Any portion of the credit that is unused at the end of 2004 can be carried over into 2005. Beneficiaries need to sign up by Dec. 31, 2004 to be eligible for the credit.

Beneficiaries who receive letters can call 1-800-MEDICARE or visit www.medicare.gov to see if their favorite pharmacy takes the card they received and what discounts are available on the drugs they take.

CMS is also working with more than 100 community-based organizations across the country to reach seniors and people with disabilities who are struggling with the costs of their medicines and help them enroll in the discount drug cards and the $600 credit if they qualify. These partners include 92 groups that formed the Access to Benefits Coalition for the purpose of helping people with Medicare take advantage of the savings that come with the discount drug cards.

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Secretary of Health and Human Services Urging Americans to Get Influenza Vaccine

A flu vaccination will protect the health of millions of Americans this flu season. That's why we have worked with manufacturers to ensure that there is more vaccine available in the United States this year than ever before.

We are urging people to visit a health professional and get vaccinated to protect themselves and their loved ones from the flu. Among those we recommend get vaccinated are people 50 years and older, women who will be pregnant during the flu season, and all children six to 23 months of age.

A full list of people who should get vaccinated is available at www.cdc.gov/flu/.

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Prevention

Secretary Thompson Mobilizes Communities to Help Eliminate Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health through a Nationwide Call to Action to Visit a Health Professional

HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson on Tuesday, September 21 urged families across America to take a loved one to the doctor as part of President George W. Bush's initiative to reduce the incidence of disease among racial and ethnic minority populations. Tuesday was the 3rd annual "Take a Loved One to the Doctor Day" that encourages individuals to make an appointment and go to a doctor or health professional for a health screening.

"Take a Loved One to the Doctor Day is about bringing people to health care early, when diseases can be prevented or treated successfully," Secretary Thompson said. "Prevention can help add years to your life and the time to start is now."

For the third consecutive year, HHS partnered with ABC Radio Networks on Take a Loved One to the Doctor Day, the signature event of HHS' Closing the Health Gap campaign. ABC radio personality Tom Joyner is the honorary chair of the Closing the Health Gap Campaign.

Nearly 500 national, state and local organizations spanning 50 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico are partnered with HHS to promote Doctor Day and host activities in their communities.

"Too many Americans especially minorities are dying from preventable diseases. Doctor Day is about showing a family, friend, or colleague you care by helping him or her to make health a priority," Thompson said. "Take a Loved One to the Doctor Day is a truly a grassroots effort with national support that combines creativity, health, and community empowerment."

Highlights included health festivals and screenings, on-site applications for Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program, panel discussions, health center events, activities for children and a special broadcast on the national Tom Joyner Morning Show.

HHS officials, including Secretary Tommy G. Thompson, Deputy Secretary Claude Allen, United States Surgeon General Richard S. Carmona, Assistant Secretary for Aging Josefina Carbonell, CMS Administrator Mark McClellan and Acting Director for Minority Health Garth Graham, participated in many events around the country.

The Tom Joyner Morning Show can be heard daily on 119 stations around the world and on American Forces Radio and Television Service. This year, HHS will broadcast nearly 200 health messages on various ABC radio formats between August and October. ABC Radio Urban Advantage Network reaches 19 million African-Americans weekly.

For more information on Closing the Health Gap and Take a Loved One to the Doctor Day, visit www.healthgap.omhrc.gov or call 1 (800) 444-6472.

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Science in the News

NIH Opens New Clinical Research Hospital

The National Institutes of Health celebrated the opening of the Mark O. Hatfield Clinical Research Center on Wednesday, Sept. 22. This new hospital totally dedicated to clinical research — research involving patients — is the most significant addition to the NIH campus in more than 50 years and provides a unique opportunity for scientists, clinicians, and patients to study and conquer both chronic and acute disease in the 21st century.

"The Hatfield Center at the NIH represents an important investment in science and treatment on behalf of the American people," HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson said. Through its doors will come patients, who in partnership with NIH's doctors, nurses and researchers, will try to find answers to some of the most perplexing questions in medicine."

The 870,000-square-foot Hatfield Center connects to the existing Warren Grant Magnuson Clinical Center, which opened its doors to patients in 1953. In the 50 years since its opening, NIH has worked in partnership with more than 350,000 participants in clinical studies from every state in the U.S. and from around the world.

"We have patients who come here who've lost hope for any other treatment," NIH Director Elias A. Zerhouni, M.D. said. "This is why we really are very pleased to have received the support of Congress, the support of the American public, and most importantly, the thousands of patients who come from all around the country and the world to participate as partners in clinical research."

Some NIH advances resulting from this partnership include:

"Patients are our partners in discovery and at the heart of the Clinical Center's mission," Clinical Center Director John I. Gallin, M.D. said. "This new building will be a remarkable resource for science because it has been designed in concert with the patients who come here and the scientists and clinicians who work with them to find new and better ways to prevent and treat disease."

The Hatfield Center will continue to set the pace for developing the most promising medical advances. Annually, more than 1,000 clinical studies are conducted at NIH and the proximity of labs, equipment, and patient care units will help to rapidly move biomedical laboratory findings into the mainstream of medical practice — carrying on the "bench-to-bedside" tradition of the original NIH Clinical Center.

In 1989, an assessment of the existing Clinical Center's building systems concluded that the hospital had 12-15 years of useful life left. In 1994, by mandate of Congress, NIH convened an external advisory committee to conduct an in-depth review of the agency's intramural program. This committee strongly endorsed NIH's research program and recommended the immediate revitalization of the Clinical Center through construction of a new 242-bed hospital, followed by the phased renovation of the existing Clinical Center. Former NIH Directors Bernadine Healy, M.D. and Harold Varmus, M.D. provided crucial support to this effort.

Named in honor of former Senator Mark O. Hatfield, who served in Congress for 30 years and provided steadfast support to NIH and clinical research, the new hospital will allow for cutting-edge research and patient care in the 21st century. The Hatfield Center will open with approximately 240 inpatient beds and 80 day-hospital stations. Laboratories and patient rooms are highly flexible and can quickly adapt to meet new requirements and changing priorities.

The Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Partnership designed the Hatfield Center, winning an international design competition among 29 firms. Currently, laboratory and office moves are underway. Patients will move into the new hospital in December.

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Medicare Minute

Medicare Announces New Ways To Help Low-Income Beneficiaries Get Big Savings Using Medicare Drug Discount Cards

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced on Thursday new steps to make it even easier for people on Medicare with limited incomes to get large savings on their drug costs, paying as little as $15, by enrolling in Medicare-approved drug discount cards plus transitional financial assistance.

"With the Medicare drug discount card, no one on Medicare with limited means should be choosing between drugs and other basic necessities like food and rent, so we're going to keep doing all we can to make sure that as many beneficiaries as possible take advantage of the savings in this program," Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Director Mark B. McClellan, M.D., Ph.D. said.

Medicare is making it easier for beneficiaries who may use up their $600 credit to find a Medicare-endorsed drug card that provides large additional "wraparound" discounts from drug manufacturers on their drugs. Wraparound discounts give beneficiaries access to brand-name prescriptions that cost as little as $15 or even less, after the $600 credit has been used up. Medicare's enhanced "Price Compare" tool -- available by calling 1-800-MEDICARE or on www.medicare.gov - will now identify the top five cards for a low-income beneficiary, based on the total cost of their drugs before and after their $600 credit is used.

Another important enhancement gives beneficiaries with limited incomes to enroll in the $600 credit by providing their eligibility information over the phone or online instead of completing and mailing a paper enrollment form. Other enhancements include:

To start getting savings on the drug card and many other state programs and private discount programs, beneficiaries who are struggling with drug costs can call 1-800-MEDICARE anytime.

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SECRETARY THOMPSON'S PUBLIC SCHEDULE

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Last updated: September 27, 2004
United States Department of Health and Human Services
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