Washington, D.C ? A top Bush administration official acknowledged Thursday that the Medicare prescription program is too complicated for many of its intended beneficiaries to understand and said simplifying it is a top priority.

“Simplification is absolutely the next step in this process, now that we’ve got the benefit in place,” Medicare Administrator Mark McClellan said during a Senate hearing into problems that have plagued the program since its Jan. 1 introduction.

At the same time, McClellan opened the door to a possible extension of the May 15 sign-up deadline – a step the administration has opposed but critics say is needed to give seniors time to figure out the program’s many options. Under current rules, if Medicare recipients fail to enroll in the program before May 15, they will have to pay somewhat higher monthly premiums permanently.

At least 20 states have stepped in with financial guarantees to make sure beneficiaries can get the medicines they need.