Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit Toolkit for State Leaders

Guide provides state officials with information to help constituents with new drug benefit plan

WILMINGTON, DE –When the Medicare Modernization Act prescription drug benefit goes into effect Jan. 1, state leaders will be more prepared to help constituents with the changes they will be facing thanks to a new publication from the Council of State Governments.

CSG has been working with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to develop, “The Medicare Modernization Act: Tool Kit for State Leaders". The tool kit contains an overview of the benefit, and information on:

• The ways state officials and leaders can help with education and outreach for seniors,
• Different options that are available for state pharmaceutical programs,
• The effects the benefit will have on state retiree programs, and
• Changes that Medicaid programs will undergo because of the new benefit.

The tool kit, which will be released Friday, Dec. 1 during CSG’s annual meeting in Wilmington, Delaware, also contains publications from CMS targeted to help state officials and timelines of important dates regarding the benefit.

“This benefit will cause major administrative changes at the state level,” said Dan Sprague, Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of CSG. “CSG developed this tool kit to help state leaders take a proactive role in preparing their state and constituents for the changes ahead.”

CSG is the premier multibranch organization forecasting policy trends for the community of states, commonwealths and territories on a national and regional basis.

The tool kit can be downloaded from CSG’s Web site.

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The Council of State Governments is the nation’s only organization serving every elected and appointed official in all three branches of every state government. CSG has championed excellence in state government since 1933 by advocating multi-state shared problem solving and states’ rights, by tracking national conditions, trends, and innovations, and through nonpartisan, groundbreaking leadership training and support.