Nearly three years have passed since Congress passed the Medicare prescription drug plan, Part D. And while I opposed Part D, I have met with more than 1,000 Long Island seniors to educate them about the details of the plan.

The Part D enrollment process was complicated and time-consuming. In New York, seniors had 46 plans to choose from. I encountered many seniors who were thinking about not enrolling in a plan because the process was just too confusing. Today, many seniors are locked into plans that offer too little or too much coverage.

Also, seniors were locked into their plans for a year, but insurance companies could drop certain drugs from their plans without consequence. This provision forced many seniors to pay the high retail cost of drugs not covered in their plan.

But just as seniors are taking advantage of lower cost prescription medication, Part D's biggest problem is about to emerge. Many seniors are about to discover what is referred to as the plan's doughnut hole. The doughnut hole is the gap in coverage Part D enrollees face when they purchase $2,250 worth of prescription drugs in a year. Once seniors hit the doughnut hole, they will have to pay for their next $3,100 worth of prescription drugs. Only after paying that money, will their coverage continue.

I am concerned that many Medicare subscribers may be taken by surprise by the doughnut hole. And I worry that many seniors will be back in the same predicament they were in before Part D. Some will have to decide whether to pay their bills or purchase prescription drugs. Others will put their health at risk by reducing their dosage in order to afford their medication. And many will have to spend their way out of the doughnut hole every year for the rest of their lives.

If you have any questions about the Part D doughnut hole, please call my office at 739-3008. I will continue to work with my colleagues in Washington for a Medicare prescription drug benefit that puts the interests of seniors and their health care first. It's time for a simple, affordable, and guaranteed drug plan for our seniors and disabled persons. It's time for Congress to fix Part D.