Medicare Part D (i.e. drug benefit)

For those people who live in the US and receive their medical insurance through Medicare it is time to sign up for your drug plan.

Here is a link to a map of the country. Click on your state and you will find a list of all the plans offered there. It also includes information on premiums, copayments, deductibles, and what is covered.

http://www.medicare.gov/medicarereform/map.asp

Please make sure that you sign up for this benefit. If you have questions we can figure them out here or you can PM me. (I teach classes in this to pharmacy students.)

Cheryl

Thanks for the link. I just started reading the novel that Medicare sent out and I'm so confused. Actually this looks like it is going to cost my Dad more in the long run since he will now have to pay a monthly premium. Right now he is using the prescription cards where he only pays $12 an $15 for his Pfizer and Lilly prescriptions. I wish that wasn't ending.

If you don't mind I may have some questions I would love to run by you once I've read everything. I'm the one making the decision for my father so I want to make sure I understand and make the best choice.

Can they possibly make it more confusing? :eek: I know I'll have some
questions too. :) Will the old prescription cards not be good anymore?

Jazzcat - All the states have many different plans with varying premiums. If you click on your father's state on the map (in the original post) you will find a listing of all the plans offered where he lives. You will also find that premiuns and coverage levels vary greatly.

Lizbud - Sorry, but the current prescription cards are going to be ending effective December 31, 2005. So you will need to make a selection for a drug plan.

I am happy to answer any questions that people might have, so keep them coming. :)

I have been totally confused by this double talk as well. I have to figure this out for work and for my dear Mother. I don't know which end is up. I wish the insurance industry and health plan folks would talk language the average person can understand. This is such a (*&^*( waste of everyone's time and energy. One more government program that will go bust!

Gee, Cheryl, you're such a sweety to offer your assistance! Fortunately for me, I don't have to deal with any of this. My parents have drug coverage through their supplemental insurance and they've decided to stay with them because they're happy with the coverage and they don't want to wade through the mass of confusion.

I do know MOFF mentioned her confusion in an earlier thread, so I'll see if I can go find that and direct her to this thread.

Thanks Cheryl. :)

Oh, and one more thing. I know my mom mentioned that their Senior Center is offering help in figuring this all out also, so that is an option for people if they want face to face help.

I am also having to learn Medicare Part D information for work (I work for my local Council on Aging) and it is VERY confusing for us as well as the seniors we serve. But we are doing our best to muddle through it all.

Also, we serve many seniors who are at or below the poverty level, so the monthly premiums are out of the question for them.Fortunately, many of them are on medicaid, so they will be covered.

I think an essential thing to remember is that this is a CHOICE that seniors have. They are not required to sign up for the program. But I do believe that for the majority of seniors in the country, the program will be beneficial, and their choices should be considered. They may want to check with their local Councils on Aging, Senior Centers, AARP chapters, pharmacists, doctors, and family members before making a final decision on a plan.

We have decided that our main goal is to be certain that the seniors are well informed of their choices and able to make the best informed decision.

I also, will offer my assistance for folks with questions. I will do my best to help in any way that I can. Just PM me.... Donna

There is financial assistance available for premiums from Social Security under the following guidlines:
-Income below $14,355/year single and $19,245/year married
-Assets below $11,500 single and $23,000 married
-Contact the Social Security Administration at 1-800-772-1213 or www.socialsecurity.gov

People should really be encouraged to sign up for any plan. There is a late-comer penalty if people do not register by May 1, 2006. The penalty is 1% for each month they are not registered. For people who already have drug benefits (i.e. retiree benefits from their company), they should be able to stay with their current plan. But they need to check with their plan adminstrator to make sure the plan is consider equivalent and they will not suffer any penalties.

Thanks for the help Cheryl and Debbie!

One thing people who already take medicines need to know, not all of the drug plans will pay for every medicine. You need to check with the plans you are interested in and make sure your drugs are covered. I learned that in a meeting I went to Friday.

Good luck all! :D

Is there somewhere to obtain the list of drugs that each plan covers without having to call each individual plan provider? That would be the key in my decision.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by jazzcat

Is there somewhere to obtain the list of drugs that each plan covers without having to call each individual plan provider? That would be the key in my decision.

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On www.medicare.gov
there is a place to put in what drugs you are taking and it will bring up the plans that cover those drugs. I think it's under the find a plan section.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by momoffuzzyfaces

On www.medicare.gov
there is a place to put in what drugs you are taking and it will bring up the plans that cover those drugs. I think it's under the find a plan section.

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I went there and went through all the steps but when it came to part to enter the medications it said "COMING SOON... Medication Entry". Figures. Thanks though, I'll keep checking back.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by jazzcat

I went there and went through all the steps but when it came to part to enter the medications it said "COMING SOON... Medication Entry". Figures. Thanks though, I'll keep checking back.

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Sorry about that! I never tried that way when I was on there. I picked the ones available in my state. Surely they will get it the medications link up soon, they know we need it.

Well when the time comes, if you have any questions feel free to come back here and we can try to help you out

I just thought I would let everyone know that the tool to compare drug plans has now been made available at www.medicare.gov

I have been told that it is kind of slow and clunky, so you might have to try multiple times. :rolleyes:

I don't know about anyone else, but I think this Part D is a crock. :mad:

Right now I only take 2 RX's and the cost(with present RX card) is very
low. With any plan I'll be paying more per month more than the present cost of the drugs alone.I would just be adding the expense of a monthly insurance
charge. I might save money by paying full price for the meds.

The problem with not signing up for a plan now, is that if you decide at a later date you want to sign up there is a late comer penalty. It is equal to 1% of the premium for each month you delay entering. So if you delay a year, you would be paying an extra 12% for your premium as long as you have Medicare...

The problem with not signing up for a plan now, is that if you decide at a later date you want to sign up there is a late comer penalty. It is equal to 1% of the premium for each month you delay entering. So if you delay a year, you would be paying an extra 12% for your premium as long as you have Medicare...


That is so true... and for many folks it would be worth it to sign up for the lowest costing plan (it is $12.30 per month here in Indiana) just so that the penalty cost can be avoided. I have spoken to many folks who are planning to do just that. Of course, I realize that the cost will be different in each state. Also, as I understand things, the medicare.gov website will not be completely accurate until Nov. 15, the first day to start signing up for prgograms. As I stated in an earlier post, I am more than happy to help anyone with more questions.... just PM me.

For those of you who are enrolling by computer:
After you finish and get the enrollment successful message, if you click the continue, you will be taken to a page that will give you an error message.

If you get ERROR: missing parameter PDP Year Missing MAPDY Year - this page must have a valid zip/count combo or a valid zip/county combo

Well, as the lady on the phone from Medicare told me: That's just something the computer does. Once you get the Enrollment successful, you did it.

In fact, I did it twice tring to fix the stupid error the page told me I had made.
I called Medicare to find out what was going on. She said they will just combine my two successes into one!

Good luck! (you might want to have a drink and / or a snack while waiting)
I really think it would be faster to enroll by phone! :D

I was satisfied with HealthNet so I signed up to include drug benefits. Today I received a letter from SSA. I had asked for the premiums to be deducted from the SS check. The deduction from the March check (which I will receive mid April) is for Jan., Feb., & March. Took this long to get the plan going. Previously I had a HealthNet monthly payment book, but this will be much simpler.

I am glad that you were able to register without problems. I hope this works out well for you.