C&O Employees Hospital Association offers Medicare Part D Prescription Drug plan | Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen

CLEVELAND, September 27 — Effective January 1, 2006, the C&O Employees’ Hospital Association (COEHA) has a contract with the Federal government to provide railroad-connected individuals with an enhanced Medicare Part D Prescription Drug plan.

Those eligible for coverage are: railroaders with Medicare, Medicare spouses, Medicare widows/widowers and a Medicare parent or parent-in-law of a COEHA covered member. Those eligible may join with no health screening.

Below is a comparison between the Standard Medicare Part D Plan and the COEHA Medicare Part D Prescription Plan:

Standard Medicare Plan:

$250 yearly deductible;

You pay 25% of the total cost of the drug from $250 to $2,250 (including your $250 deductible, you could have paid up to $750 from your pocket at this point);

You pay 100% of your drug costs over $2,251 until your out-of-pocket costs reach $3,600; and

After you have met your $3,600 out-of-pocket costs, you pay the greater of the two – 5% of the drug cost or $2 copay for generic and $5 copay for brand.

COEHA Medicare Part D Plan

$150 yearly deductible;

You pay the following copays from $150 to $5,000:
generic 30-day $10
generic 90-day $25
brand 30-day $35
brand 90-day $70;

You pay 100% of your drug costs over $5,000 until your out-of-pocket costs reach $3,600; and

After you have met your $3,600 out-of-pocket costs, you pay the greater of the two – 5% of the drug cost or $2 copay for generic and $5 copay for brand.

COEHA will also offer a Medicare Supplemental Plan without drug coverage. If you do not enroll in the new Medicare Part D Prescription Plan, effective January 6, you will have to pay a higher premium if you choose to join later, unless you already have drug coverage that offers the same or better benefits that the Medicare Part D Plan.

For more information, contact the COEHA customer service department Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at 1-800-679-9135 or 1-540-862-5728.