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John Daley ReportingThe number of Utah seniors enrolling for the new Medicare prescription drug coverage is climbing, though there are still tens of thousands who haven't signed up. The deadline is fast approaching.
According to local officials working on the program, there's been a 13% increase in new sign-ups in the last three weeks. Today, seniors came to an event downtown called "My Medicare Matters", aimed at providing them education and information about the new program.
68% of eligible seniors in Utah are currently enrolled in the new program, but there are still 75-thousand who haven't yet signed up.
One Salt Lake couple we spoke with says while all the options the program provides has added confusion, they believe in the end it will save them money, about 30 dollars a month.
Jim Featherstone, Salt Lake City Resident: "We're really concerned about the Part D Medicare. I have prescription coverage. She has some, but we just want to find out if we need to sign up for Medicare Part D or continue with what we have. I'm going to continue and she'll probably sign up."
Kathy Featherstone, Salt Lake City Resident: "It can be very confusing. We receive so much in the mail on the different programs and you just get so confused you don't know where to go. That's one of the reasons we came, we were hoping to get our questions answered."
There are a number of similar educational events coming up in the next few weeks. For details, call 468-2480 or visit the website MyMedicareMatters.org for more information.
The enrollment deadline is May 15th and if you don't get signed up by that date, you'll have to wait until November.
