With the enrollment deadline only weeks away and millions of Medicare recipients yet to sign up for the government's prescription drug program, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt came to Pittsburgh yesterday on a rescue mission.

	John Heller, Post-Gazette HHS Secretary Michael Leavitt greets 85-year-old Jack Heim and other senior citizens at the PrimeTime Activities Center in Bellevue yesterday. Click photo for larger image.

Pennsylvanians have lagged behind the rest of the country, with about 700,000 eligible residents yet to sign up.

"That's why I'm here," said Mr. Leavitt, who stressed that there was still plenty of time to enroll before the May 15 deadline.

Democratic officials, consumer advocates and others have criticized the complex program, which began Jan. 1.

Mr. Leavitt, who stepped off a brightly colored bus in Bellevue that bore the message "Medicare Rx Drug Coverage ... Help Is Here," made a similar stop yesterday in New York City.

Beginning this month, he planned to make more than 50 stops in 16 states before the deadline. Medicare recipients who enroll after that date could pay permanent penalties that consist of higher monthly premiums.

President Bush made stops in other states this week to urge seniors to sign up for the program, known as Part D.

During yesterday's event at the Lutheran Service Society of Western Pennsylvania, U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum, R-Pa., expressed concerns that enrollment in Pennsylvania has lagged behind the rest of the nation. But he and Mr. Leavitt emphasized that the program can help Medicare recipients save money.

"Spread the word," Mr. Leavitt told Mary Dee Heim, 85. The Avalon resident was preparing to sign up for a Part D plan with help from My Medicare Matters, a national initiative that assists Medicare recipients with the program.

"I figure I had to do it, so I did," she said, noting that the impending deadline influenced her decision.

Nearby, Dorothy Kane, 88, worked to enroll in a plan with help from My Medicare Matters educator Carol Scott. The Ross resident expected to save about $1,000 a year on her drug costs.

Last month, federal officials said that more than 27 million Medicare recipients were getting coverage. The program is close to meeting its goal of having 28 million to 30 million people covered in the first year, Mr. Leavitt said yesterday.

The Kaiser Family Foundation has noted, however, that enrollment in Part D plans was closer to 18 million last month. More than nine million other Medicare recipients had drug coverage considered at least as good as Part D from employer and union plans.

To enroll about 29 million Medicare recipients in Part D plans this year, the foundation noted, more than 11 million additional Medicare recipients would have to sign up.

While enrollment is increasing, it is "still well below the administration's targets," said Tricia Neuman, a foundation vice president.

Robert Hayes, president of the Medicare Rights Center, said he favored extending the May 15 deadline, noting that many who might benefit have yet to apply.

Mr. Leavitt said he did not favor an extension.

"If we didn't have a deadline, fewer people would sign up. It's human nature," he said. "So I think our time is best spent in helping them to make a decision, which they have plenty of time to make."

While about one in three Medicare recipients who did not previously have prescription drug coverage have enrolled in a Part D plan nationwide, only one in four have signed up in Pennsylvania, said Tom Snedden, program director for the state's drug assistance programs, PACE and PACENET.

Many have criticized the Part D program as complex and confusing.

Part D is administered through private plans. In the Pittsburgh area alone, Medicare recipients can choose from dozens of plans. The government has outlined a standard benefit, but monthly premiums, deductibles, co-pays, the size of a coverage gap known as the doughnut hole, and covered drugs vary from plan to plan.

Results of an ABC News-Washington Post poll released this week indicated that only about 38 percent of seniors felt they knew much about Part D. Among those who had enrolled in a Part D plan, however, three out of four said they had an easy time enrolling, and nearly two-thirds believed they were saving money.

Bob Kubit, coordinator of Allegheny County's APPRISE program, which provides free counseling to Medicare recipients, noted yesterday that changes in the standard benefit for next year could increase consumers' costs.

Mr. Leavitt said that the cost of plans next year will depend on what companies propose.

"Drug costs go up just by inflation," he noted. "I expect that might be reflected in their bids."

In a prepared statement, state Treasurer Bob Casey, who is seeking to unseat Mr. Santorum in this year's Senate election, accused the senator of promoting Mr. Leavitt's visit to Bellevue as a campaign event. Mr. Casey said that two of Mr. Santorum's Senate staffers also receive salaries from the campaign.

Mr. Santorum said campaign funds are used to pay for work devoted to the campaign and that the arrangement met Senate ethics guidelines.

"We err on the side of caution," he said, adding that using taxpayer dollars for campaign purposes "absolutely never happens."