The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) published the final regulations for Title I and Title II of the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 (MMA). Title I contains the provisions governing the special retiree drug subsidies and other options that were designed to encourage employers and unions to continue providing high quality prescription drug coverage to their retirees.
It is the goal of CMS to give employers and unions a comprehensive set of options to help them continue to provide high-quality prescription drug coverage. One method is through a retiree drug subsidy that is flexible enough to enable employers and unions to obtain the subsidy without disrupting their current coverage. To meet this goal, this web site serves as a comprehensive resource center for all informational and operational needs for plan sponsors to become a participant in the Retiree Drug Subsidy Program. On this web site, many tools and resources are available to provide you with everything from general information about the RDS Program to specific instructions and assistance during the application period and afterward.
Together, with the full cooperation and involvement of our partners and plan sponsors who sign up to participate in the RDS Program, we can continue to make positive advancements towards providing access to prescription drugs, dependable retiree coverage, and better coverage options for millions of Americans.