Latebreakers: Part D plans must cover 30-day transition scripts

CMS has instructed Medicare Part D Rx drug plans that they must provide a 30-day supply of any drug a beneficiary was taking prior to Jan. 1 and that they must not charge poor beneficiaries more than $2 for covered generics or $5 for brands. Fearing political fallout from the rocky launch of its drug program, the Bush Administration is working to clear up snafus that have led at least 20 states to step in to pay for medications for Medicaid patients who were switched to Part D but were not listed on the rolls.