A group of U.S. senators and representatives said they would launch legislation to waive the financial penalty for Medicare beneficiaries who enroll in Medicare Part D later this year, The New York Times reports. The program is providing drug coverage for 29 million Medicare beneficiaries. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa), chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, and Max Baucus (D-Mont.) authored the Senate bill, and Nancy Johnson (R-Conn.) said she would introduce a bill in the House. Grassley compared enrollment in Medicare Part D with getting employees to contribute to 401(k) plans, saying, “It takes time for people to learn about benefits available to them.” The Bush administration has not been in favor of extending the enrollment deadline, and officials said that although 4.5 million seniors are currently without drug coverage, as many as two-thirds are low-income beneficiaries who would be exempt from late enrollment penalties.
