Prescription drug benefits under Part D of the Medicare Modernization Act--the genie's out of the bottle.

With the passage of the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement and Modernization Act of 2003 came the creation of the Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit, which takes effect in January 2006. In this brief, we discuss the new Part D benefit, including who is eligible, the basic benefit, benefits for low-income individuals and coordination with other prescription drug coverage.