Medicare prescription drug coverage: preparing for January 1, 2006

After many years of effort by health advocates, Congress passed the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 (called the MMA) in December 2003. The law updates the benefits provided to Medicare beneficiaries by adding coverage for prescription drugs beginning January 1, 2006. Prescription drugs play a central role in modern health care, and extending drug coverage to Medicare beneficiaries is an important goal. The way in which Congress tackled this problem, however, has been highly contentious. This article will describe the law as it was passed, the issues that remain to be resolved, and what ia all means for people with HIV/AIDS.