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My husband is 65 and now on medicare. He has straight medicare and was automatically placed on a part D program for prescriptions. There are only 2 he can choose from that doesn't require a premium.
You can go to the webpage for each company and find out what drugs they cover, if they have mail service, etc. If you plan to use a local pharmacy, you can call the pharmacy and make sure they accept the plan you choose. Most of the plans seem to have a low copay like $2.00/month per med. With some of the mail pharmacies, there is no co pay but I've found it a nuisance. Good Luck!
There is a great Part D comparison feature on the Medicare site. Enter your info and medications and it will show the cost for each plan. It takes some time but will give you the answer you're looking for. It will show you the monthly premiums, prices for each drug and copays, etc. It gives you this pricing both for 30-day supply at the pharmacy (you select your local pharmacies) as well as for 90-day mail order.
Here is the page to get started on medicare.gov (I selected the option for Part D to be added to regular Medicare):
It's a good idea to revisit this every year during open enrollment. I shop it every year for my mother as the formularies and drug prices often change.
My husband is 65 and now on medicare. He has straight medicare and was automatically placed on a part D program for prescriptions. There are only 2 he can choose from that doesn't require a premium.
So how does one know which one is better?
One is Envision Plus and the other is Well care.
Goodness this is confusing.
Beware of a part D plan with no premium. The most important number is Out of Pocket Cost.
Go to the Medicare.com website and enter your zip code. Then be prepared to enter your prescriptions. You will have to enter the quantity & when you get them. You may want a list from your pharmacy to have something to compare prices. Generic prescriptions can be cheaper.
Each company is rated thru the Medicare website. It would be nice if one of them had a 5* rating. A company with no stars could be too new to rate. A company could lowball the first year rate to get your business but charge more the second year. You could check information by using the company website. It may be possible for the premium to be paid by Social Security. Others have a discount if you are AARP member or do direct pay.
There could be a "high premium" plan, maybe $70/month. The plan has no deductible, but you will pay per prescription price. This could be your max out of pocket expense.
There could be a "mid level" plan, maybe $30/month. The plan could have $400 deductible. Pay another price for prescriptions.
Some plans let you keep your current pharmacy. Others will send you to a preferred provider, that could be WalMart or CVS instead of Walgreen. Some plans have a buy by mail program. Some plans will question the prescriptions you take & suggest an alternative.
Beware of a part D plan with no premium. The most important number is Out of Pocket Cost.
Go to the Medicare.com website and enter your zip code. Then be prepared to enter your prescriptions. You will have to enter the quantity & when you get them. You may want a list from your pharmacy to have something to compare prices. Generic prescriptions can be cheaper.
Each company is rated thru the Medicare website. It would be nice if one of them had a 5* rating. A company with no stars could be too new to rate. A company could lowball the first year rate to get your business but charge more the second year. You could check information by using the company website. It may be possible for the premium to be paid by Social Security. Others have a discount if you are AARP member or do direct pay.
There could be a "high premium" plan, maybe $70/month. The plan has no deductible, but you will pay per prescription price. This could be your max out of pocket expense.
There could be a "mid level" plan, maybe $30/month. The plan could have $400 deductible. Pay another price for prescriptions.
Some plans let you keep your current pharmacy. Others will send you to a preferred provider, that could be WalMart or CVS instead of Walgreen. Some plans have a buy by mail program. Some plans will question the prescriptions you take & suggest an alternative.
Not sure how we can pay a premium when our income is $685 a month with social security. I've never worked outside the home and though I am disabled I cannot draw SS since I've never worked enough. I admit I am losing sleep over this.
My husband is 65 and now on medicare. He has straight medicare and was automatically placed on a part D program for prescriptions. There are only 2 he can choose from that doesn't require a premium.
So how does one know which one is better?
One is Envision Plus and the other is Well care.
Goodness this is confusing.
The ONLY ones who are auto-enrolled are those who qualify for Extra Help. If one was chosen for you, it is in fact without a premium. Simply go on each PART D website and confirm that your meds are covered and that there is a convenient pharmacy closeby. I would stay away from Wellcare PDP since the there’s is very inexpensive and their customer servic3 totally outsourced,
The ONLY ones who are auto-enrolled are those who qualify for Extra Help. If one was chosen for you, it is in fact without a premium. Simply go on each PART D website and confirm that your meds are covered and that there is a convenient pharmacy closeby. I would stay away from Wellcare PDP since the there’s is very inexpensive and their customer servic3 totally outsourced,
Things are more clearer now. Received a letter in the mail and was able to sign up for a managed care plan. So all is good. Thank you all for your help.
Things are more clearer now. Received a letter in the mail and was able to sign up for a managed care plan. So all is good. Thank you all for your help.
Just make sure that it's a Dual Special Needs plan (D-SNP) that coordinates with Medicare and Medicaid. If you don't have Medicaid, you should apply for it. You could also apply for SSI through Social Security if your liquid resources are less than $3,000. A good Medicare Advantage agent in your area should be able to guide you through this pretty easily. Good Luck!
Just make sure that it's a Dual Special Needs plan (D-SNP) that coordinates with Medicare and Medicaid. If you don't have Medicaid, you should apply for it. You could also apply for SSI through Social Security if your liquid resources are less than $3,000. A good Medicare Advantage agent in your area should be able to guide you through this pretty easily. Good Luck!
He applied for Molina Medicare Advantage that is Dual. It seems like a very good plan. He gets SSI but I don't because I never worked outside the home and I am just 61. I tried to apply for disability but was turned down because I haven't paid into it.
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