"Seniors must act fast or pay the price" (Click to read full story - Chicago Tribune)

"6.5 million seniors have 6 days to make sense of the Medicare maze and pick a plan"

"....This is the first time Medicare is paying for prescription drugs, an essential and expensive treatment for most seniors, and the largest expansion of the government health plan in more than 40 years. But persuading seniors to sign up has been an uphill battle.

Like Mayer, large numbers of people are baffled by the complexity of Medicare's drug benefit, which is being administered by dozens of private companies. And like him, they're weighing the costs of joining against the benefits, and worrying about a financial penalty for people who don't sign up in time. The fine is 1 percent of an average drug plan's monthly premium.

Even critics of the drug program say this is reason enough to take the plunge.

"Select a plan now and avoid the penalty," said Vicki Gottlich, a senior attorney with the Center for Medicare Advocacy. "Insurance is important. You get car insurance and hope you never have an accident. So, get drug insurance even if you hope you won't need it."

Elaine Aulig, a MS patient, takes medications to keep the disease and its complications under control. Copaxone, costs more than $1,400 a month. Until February, Aulig's former company was paying for her prescriptions; now she belongs to Blue Medicare Rx Standard, a Medicare drug plan offered by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois. But with a $250 deductible, the $2,850 doughnut hole, a $27 monthly premium, and drug co-payments, her expenses will still come to almost $5,000 a year, Aulig estimated....."