About Us

The Access to Benefits Coalition (ABC or the Coalition) is dedicated to ensuring that Medicare beneficiaries with limited means know about and make the best use of all available resources for accessing prescription drugs and reducing their costs.Coalition members share an interest in helping the millions of people with Medicare who are eligible for this Extra Help secure the prescription coverage they need to maintain their health and improve the quality of their lives.

Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage (also called Part D) is available to all people with Medicare (including people aged 65 and over as well as younger people with disabilities who qualify). There is Extra Help with the costs associated with this coverage for people with limited incomes and resources. For people who qualify, Medicare pays 85 to 100 percent of all prescription costs.

What ABC Does

ABC works through local and state coalitions to inform beneficiaries and their families, as well as the professionals who serve them, about the Medicare Part D Extra Help and other prescription savings programs.  At the national level, ABC advocates for policy changes that will improve access to the Extra Help and other valuable benefits for people with Medicare.

ABC Goals

The goal of the Coalition is to quickly and measurably educate Medicare beneficiaries with limited means; assist them in applying for Extra Help if they qualify; and help them make informed choices about Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage. The Coalition accomplishes its goals through:

• Developing and using the best-available knowledge from the public and private sectors about best practices and cost-effective strategies for reaching and enrolling Medicare beneficiaries with limited incomes and resources

• Activating and supporting nationwide community education and outreach, focused on reducing confusion and providing beneficiary support in decision-making and enrollment

• Developing and implementing public information and outreach campaigns

• Developing a robust decision-support tool to help consumers make optimal choices, and

• Mobilizing widespread support and participation in national, state, and local Access to Benefits Coalitions.

The National Coalition

Chaired by the National Council on Aging, the Coalition has over 100 national nonprofit organizations as members. These include aging and health care organizations such as AARP and the Catholic Health Association of the U.S., national charities such as Easter Seals, and groups representing patients and caregivers such as the Alzheimer’s Association and the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill. In addition, faith-based and multi-cultural groups such as The National Council of Churches and the National Alliance for Hispanic Health are active members. For a complete list of members, click here.

Local Coalitions        

Since early 2004, the Coalition has involved hundreds of community-based nonprofits through local coalitions throughout the country, in educating and enrolling tens of thousands of beneficiaries in prescription savings programs. Those local coalitions now focus on helping people with Medicare who have limited incomes and resources apply for the Medicare Part D Extra Help and choose a plan. For a complete list of local Access to Benefits Coalitions, click here.

BenefitsCheckUp™

The Coalition helped to develop BenefitsCheckUp, a Web-based decision support tool that helps beneficiaries, as well as family caregivers, providers and organizations who serve them, understand and assess their current situation before enrolling in a Medicare Prescription Drug plan that makes sense for them. BenefitsCheckUp also helps determine if they qualify for Medicare’s Extra Help or other prescription savings programs and allows them to apply for many of these programs on line.

My Medicare Matters

The Coalition is also part of the My Medicare Matters Campaign, a comprehensive community-based outreach and education program to help people with Medicare and their families understand Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage, assess their personal situation, understand their choices, compare plan options and make the enrollment decision that is right for their health and their financial situation.  To learn more, go to www.MyMedicareMatters.org.

ABC Supporters

The Access to Benefits Coalition’s activities are supported with funds from government, private, corporate and foundation sources.