[media-credit name=’GREG SCHMITZ/Herald photo’ align=’alignright’ width=’336′][/media-credit]There is help for senior citizens confused by the new Medicare drug program, U.S. Rep. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., said in a press conference at University of Wisconsin Health Pharmacy at Hilldale Mall Wednesday.

The drug plan, known as Medicare Part D, is supposed to save money for the government and Medicare recipients alike, but it has been charged with being too difficult for the nation's senior citizens to understand.

Forty-five "stand-alone" drug plans will be available in Wisconsin, and 23 other Medicare advantage plans connected to HMOs are also included in the program. These different plans, or "formularies," will cover specific drugs, and Medicare participants will have to choose which plan best suits their health-care needs.

"For a lot of people, Medicare Part D may prove to be a bitter pill," Baldwin said. "In order to choose the best program, you need to get organized, get informed and get help."

Wisconsin's SeniorCare program, which gives health-care benefits to senior citizens in the state, received a two-year extension Tuesday. Baldwin said this measure is good news for the state because the program has been "highly successful and popular" for the 90,000 people who participate in it. However, seniors will now have to choose whether to stay with SeniorCare or switch to Medicare Part D.

"Medicare Part D is a new option and, for some, especially those who qualify [for] a low-income subsidy, it may be a better option," Baldwin said, adding most elderly Wisconsinites will probably benefit more from SeniorCare.

Though the sign-up period for Medicare Part D will commence Nov. 15, benefits will not begin to take effect until Jan. 1, 2006. Medicare recipients are not required to enroll with the Part D program, but those who sign up after May 15, 2006, will be charged an enrollment penalty.

Assistance allowing seniors to better understand the program comes in the form of a helpline, an informational website and one-on-one counseling. The one-on-one counseling will be provided by a group called Wisconsin Benefit Specialists, who will answer questions seniors may have about the program and then chose the program which best suits each individual's needs.

Denise Grossman, a benefits specialist for the Jefferson County area, said the confusion over Part D is causing seniors to either panic or "bury their heads in the sand."

"There have been problems and frustration with information [about Medicare Part D] coming in bits and pieces," Grossman said. "[Seniors] don't need to panic, but they do need to learn so they can compare choices and make informed decisions."

In a later interview with The Badger Herald, Baldwin expressed concern with issues concerning the availability of affordable and accessible education in Wisconsin, along with the need for health-care reform.

"Public education is in trouble," Baldwin said. "And I think we have to ask questions, like, 'Are our public institutions still public?'"

Baldwin said "strings" attached to obtaining higher education from both private and public colleges in the state are holding many people back.

The state's colleges and universities are the "vehicle to provide a meaningful future to state citizens," Baldwin said, adding the option to attend college should be made available to people in the state regardless of their economic background.

"We cannot lose sight of their incredible, powerful purpose and why these university systems were created in the first place," Baldwin said. "The wage and earning gap between a high-school-educated worker and a college-educated worker is enormous."

In addition to pledging to help Wisconsinites attain a post-secondary degree, Baldwin vowed to lobby for the continued funding of groundbreaking research at UW through National Institutes of Health and National Science Foundation grants.