The next enrollment period for Medicare Part D begins on November 15, 2006, but the call centers set up to assist beneficaries are inadequate according the consumer advocacy group, California Health Advocates.

The privatized structure of the new drug benefit makes plan call centers a crucial communication tool for Part D coverage, but both independent surveys and anecdotal reports from counselors show serious lapses in the ability of Part D plans to provide accurate and timely information and to successfully guide people with Medicare seeking to access the benefit. CMS guidance for plan D call centers lacks the necessary specificity and the agency has failed to provide adequate oversight of the quality of service.

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Read the entire report here.