Medicare Part D Assistance Available for Non-English Speakers
[Posted 04/20/06]

To help non-English-speaking Medicare beneficiaries understand how Part D coverage works, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has made available on its website information in Chinese, Korean, Russian, Spanish, Tagalog, and Vietnamese.

CMS has also established toll-free information hotlines for Spanish, Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese speakers.

• Spanish: 800/MEDICARE (633-4227)
• Chinese (Cantonese and Mandarin): 800/582-4218
• Korean: 800/582-4259
• Vietnamese: 800/582-4336.

Physicians are encouraged to share this information with their non-English speaking patients. The May 15 Medicare Part D enrollment deadline is fast approaching. Under the law, eligible patients who do not sign up by the deadline will face a 1 percent per month premium penalty for the duration of the program.

Click here to visit CMS's Multilanguage Gateway.