Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Plans
What is Medicare?
Medicare is a fee-for-service health care program for seniors, in which the government pays health care providers directly for services that fall under Parts A and B of Medicare benefits (see below). However, if you are looking for more coverage than Original Medicare, you can purchase one of our Medicare Advantage Plans to receive all your Part A and Part B benefits.1
Medicare is divided into four categories. This allows you to customize your personal coverage when shopping for a comprehensive policy.
- Part A (hospital insurance): Covers hospital care, emergency services, nursing home care, home health services and hospice.
- Part B (medical insurance): Covers medically necessary services and supplies used for diagnosing and treating medical conditions, and preventative services for illness prevention and/or early detection. Examples include ambulance services, mental health care, outpatient procedures and clinical research.
- Part C: Combines Parts A and B and often part D as well.
- Part D: Offers prescription drug coverage.
What Medicare options are available?
Original Medicare offers coverage for services and supplies that are considered to be medically necessary, such as doctor visits, lab tests and wheelchairs. There are several alternative plans you can choose from for additional coverage, and each plan must offer at least the same coverage as Original Medicare. There are two Medicare plans that we can assist you with.
- A Medicare Advantage Plan, also known as Part C, combines Part A and Part B as a replacement to Medicare for more comprehensive health care coverage. This plan can be customized with additional coverage, such as a prescription drug program (Part D), vision and dental.
- A Medicare Supplemental Plan, also known as Medigap, has a higher premium but supplements the coverage gaps and deductibles that Part A and Part B leave behind.
Why do you need Medicare?
Seniors are in the most need of health care, but once retired monthly premiums can become hard to maintain. Enrolling in the Medicare program allows you to get the care you need for a minimal charge.
Contact us today to learn more about coverage options. We are happy to work with you to determine which Medicare options work best for you.
How much does Medicare coverage cost in 2018?
This information comes from www.medicare.gov/your-medicare-costs/costs-at-a-glance
Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Plans
You can sign up for Part D Prescription Drug Plans, which helps cover prescription drug costs, along with other components of Medicare starting three months before your 65th birthday. It’s important to do this on time because there’s a permanent premium surcharge for enrolling more than three months after your 65th birthday if you don’t have equivalent drug coverage from another source, such as a retiree plan or group coverage. If you are already enrolled in a Part D “stand-alone” plan or have a Medicare Advantage plan that includes drug coverage, you can switch plans during the Open Enrollment period, which runs from October 15th through December 7th of each year.
Most Prescription Drug Plans have a coverage gap called a donut hole. This means there’s a temporary limit on what the drug plan will cover for drugs. The coverage gap begins after you and your drug plan have spent a certain amount for covered drugs. For 2016, you are in the coverage gap once you and your plan have spent $3,310 on covered drugs. People with Medicare who get Extra Help paying Part D costs won’t enter the coverage gap.
It is very important to review your Part D coverage every year, especially if your Physician has made changes to your prescriptions.
You can check out this link to the Medicare Part D Plan Finder, which allows you to compare offerings and coverage options in your area and includes a helpful formulary finder that allows you to compare plans based on their coverage of your personalized list of drugs.
1 – This is not a complete listing of plans available in your service area. For a complete listing please contact 1-800-MEDICARE (TTY users should call 1-877-486-2048), 24 hours a day/7 days a week or consult www.medicare.gov.
Medicare has neither reviewed nor endorsed this information.