Plan Contract ID
This variable is the unique Part D contract identifier for the beneficiary's Part D plan of record for the year. CMS assigns an identifier to each contract that a Part D plan has with CMS.
If the beneficiary was enrolled in more than one plan during the year, this is the contract number for the Part D plan in which the beneficiary was enrolled at the end of the year.
The first character of the plan contract ID is a letter representing the type of plan.
For 2006 - 2012, this variable was always encrypted to comply with CMS privacy rules.
You need to know both the Part D contract number and plan benefit package number (PLAN_PBP_REC_NUM) in order to identify the specific plan in which a beneficiary was enrolled.
This variable is coded, and will contain one of the following values.
5-digit alpha/numeric value. First digit is one of the following -
| Value | Description |
|---|---|
H |
Managed Care Organizations other than Regional PPO |
R |
Regional preferred provider organization (PPO) |
S |
Stand-alone prescription drug plan (PDP) |
E |
Employer direct plan (starting January 2007) |
X |
Limited Income Newly Eligible Transition plan (LI NET, starting July 2009) |
Some additional information on this variable: