Medicare Part D question.

[Misfit Toy]

Hi guys, I typed in Medicare Part D and there came up a past thread I wrote! Okay, it's that time. I have it hardwired in my brain that Medicare part D sign up is happening from the 15th of October to the 7th of December.

Does anyone have any advice? I received this notice in the mail that it is time to sign up. There are places in my area where you can attend a seminar. I am not sure if you can actually sign up at the seminar or just listen? Does anyone know? The idea of doing this on the phone is exhausting. I need to sit with someone. Phone makes me so tired.

This is so anxiety provoking for me that I put it off, but this year I can't or won't do that. I have to have prescription coverage as my meds are killing me out of pocket. I pay almost $700 a month between insurance (medicap) and meds.

Also, do you have any insurance D coverage you recommend? I have to get it specifically for Plaquenil, (the brand) which I believe is a tier 1 drug and liothyronine.

Anyway, I know a lot is going on on PR at the moment, but I just wanted to see if anyone had insight, suggestions, advice, or ways of making me less anxious about this whole process.

Thanks!

 

[ghosalb]

Hi...what is medicap ?.....I know of medigap, which is a medicare supplemental plan....or you can buy medicare advantage plan (one I use) from a private company that covers all three A(hospital), B(doctor/medical) and D(drugs)....medicare.gov sends you this booklet which tells you which private companies offer what plans in your geographical area...you choose based on premium, deductible, copay, drug coverage etc....when you choose or ask these companies, they will send you a booklet or you can check on their website what drugs are covered or you can call them....I have never gone to any meetings but some people like it....I pay approx. 250/month premium (medicare deduction + private company premium) for all three parts A, B and D....I don't take any drug regularly, so do not know how much drug copays would have been....

 

[Misfit Toy]

Hi...what is medicap ?

Hi, I meant to say Medigap. I need drug coverage and I do take a lot of drugs. I have medical coverage. Thank you so much for your answer. I am making phone calls all day regarding this.

 

[Mary]

Hi @Misfit Toy - My sister needed info on Medicare but was unable to attend a certain seminar because of her work schedule so she called the agent who was sponsoring the seminar and he met with her individually for an hour or so and answered all her questions. She was very happy with what she found out. I think Medicare agents are happy to meet with potential customers so that might be the easiest way to go and I'm sure an agent could answer all your questions pretty easily

 

[ahimsa]

What state are you in?

For example, in Oregon we have SHIBA, which stands for Senior Health Insurance Benefits Assistance. And in spite of the name they actually offer help to anyone on Medicare, not just seniors.

SHIBA was very helpful to me years ago when I first went on Medicare. They talked with me over the phone but they also set up an appointment once to come out to my house and go over options in person. I think most states have volunteer groups like this but they all have different names.

The only other thing I can suggest is to use the medicare.gov website (eg., https://www.medicare.gov/part-d/coverage/part-d-coverage.html ). But I'm sure you've already tried that.

 

[Misfit Toy]

They talked with me over the phone but they also set up an appointment once to come out to my house and go over options in person. I think most states have volunteer groups like this but they all have different names.

Thank you also @Mary. I called Apprise today which is in Pennsylvania where I am and they do help out seniors..I asked them, "Is it just for seniors?" Nope for younger folks like me too. So, I can meet in person. I am not sure if they will come to my home, but I remember a time when they did back in 2001, or 2000 they came out to my home.

I only need medicare part D. I have Blue cross and was grandfathered into one that I have zero copays or zero anything. It's $290 a month, but worth it as when I needed PT, there were no copays of like $20 a pop. That would have killed my wallet! I don't know, it's a toss.

So, I will sign up for medicare part D and see how that goes. Thank you!

 

[ahimsa]

Glad to hear that, @Misfit Toy

For folks who live in other states a list of all State Health Insurance Assistance Programs is here:

https://seniorsresourceguide.com/directories/National/SHIP/

What is SHIP?
SHIP is a free health benefits counseling service for Medicare beneficiaries and their families or caregivers. SHIPs mission is to educate, advocate, counsel and empower people to make informed healthcare benefit decisions. SHIP is an independent program funded by Federal agencies and is not affiliated with the insurance industry.

SHIP Counseling is FREE of charge
State Health Insurance Assistance Programs (SHIPs) provide free help to Medicare beneficiaries who have questions or issues with their health insurance. You can call a counselor or attend a workshop/presentation in your area ...

 

[Misfit Toy]

@ahimsa -that is so great...thank you!

 

[nandixon]

@Misfit Toy, Finding a Medicare Part D plan and signing up is pretty easy.

Just go to: https://www.medicare.gov/find-a-plan/questions/home.aspx and follow the prompts. You'll eventually get to a page where you enter all the drugs you take and it'll calculate for you which plan is least expensive for those total drugs on an annual basis. You can then sign up for that plan online from the same site.

If more than one plan has a similar cost then you would look at the stars/reviews for each plan and use that as a tie-breaker.

 

[Misfit Toy]

Finding a Medicare Part D plan and signing up is pretty easy.

Thank you!