Medicare Part D (i.e. drug benefit)

[lizbud]

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

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.

[emily_the_spoiled]

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...

[Donnaj4962]

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.

[momoffuzzyfaces]

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!

[Freckles]

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.

[emily_the_spoiled]

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