My Part D USA

This time of year many Pharmacies and Doctor Offices are filled with patients asking them what drug plan would cover their medications.

As we have heard, they do not have the time or the resources to handle all these questions.

We have had many requests from pharmacies, case workers, and nursing homes for some way to help people who have no access to a computer. If you are in this position and need help, please call us and we can fax or snail mail a worksheet for you to give out to your patients or clients that they can fill out themselves and either mail or fax it back to us.

We can then call them and assist them with their drug comparison and help them enroll and if necessary submit their application for “extra help” from the Medicare Part D Assistance Program.

This will free up your time to do what you do best!!

Have you found out that your Doctor does not accept the terms of payment from you Medicare Advantage Plan?

Do you feel like you are paying too much in premium for your Medicare Supplement?

If you have any problems with your current coverage and want to know your choices or wish to make a change you can do so during the AEP and also January 1st to March 31st you can change your Medicare Advantage Plan.

Please refer to my other blogs about the details of what a Medicare Advantage Plan will do for you. You can choose from the categories on the left side of the home page.

There were many seniors who thought that the Medicare Advantage Plan would work the same way as their Medicare Supplement and were disappointed in the benefits they recieved.

Also, if you joined a Medicare Advantage Plan and felt misled, or you are unhappy in any way, you have 12 months to get back on your Traditional Medicare benefits and Supplement with NO UNDERWRITING!!

If you have questions you can always reach us toll-free at 866-752-1795.

We can guide you through the process of finding out about all your choices for coverage and select the plan that will be best for your needs. Everyone has differenent situations and the idea that one plan fits everyone is simply not true.

It has been reported that many seniors are vulnerable to telephone or door-to-door scams regarding health insurance plans. If you don’t know who you are talking to, or they are not forthcoming with their contact information, don’t give out your personal information.

YOU SHOULD NEVER GIVE A SALESPERSON CASH!!!!

We have had some reports of seniors giving a salesperson cash for their Drug Plans or written out checks to the salesperson. Never do this!

YOU WILL BE BILLED DIRECTLY FROM YOUR DRUG PLAN OR THE PREMIUM WILL BE TAKEN OUT OF YOUR SOCIAL SECURITY CHECK. No money should be exchanged when you do a Part D drug plan enrollment. Also, never make out a check to your salesperson. If you need to give them a check for your premium on your Medicare Supplement or other health insurance it should be made out payable to a reputable company name.

You must also beware of websites that will try to charge you for a comparison. There is NO NEED TO PAY FOR A COMPARISON!

You can get that information FREE online at Medicare.gov or www.MyPartDusa.com or www.MyPartDusa.org

At My Part D USA our website is HIPPA compliant and secure. WE DO NOT CONTACT YOU UNLESS WE RECIEVE AN EMAIL OR PHONE CALL FROM YOU REQUESTING OUR HELP!

If anyone from My Part D USA calls you and you want to verify this, please call me toll free at 866-752-1795.

It is very important that you have your Red, White and Blue Medicare Cardwith you when you do your Part D Drug Plan enrollment. Why?

We have had many stories of people who thought they knew their Medicare Claim number, only to have given out the wrong information. This will cause your drug plan to be held up and maybe not even processed.

You have a claim number with a letter behind it on your Medicare Card. Please verify that you have the correct number before enrolling. This will insure that come January 2008, you will have your Part D plan in force.

In fact, you need to make sure that all your information is correct, the exact way your name is listed on your card and your dates of enrolling in Part A, and or Part B.

Many people call us back several weeks after enrolling only to tell us that they gave us the wrong information. This resulted in their drug plan being held up for several additional weeks, and caused them to make many frustrating phone calls to their drug plan company or Medicare.

Also, as we have said before when you enter in your drug names, YOU MUST GIVE US THE GENERIC NAMES OF YOUR MEDICATIONS, IF YOU TAKE THE GENERIC FORM.

This will greatly affect the outcome of your comparison! At My Part D USA we want you to have the best plan possible to meet your needs!

For months and months I had been trying to help someone with getting their Medicare Part D Drug Plan enrollment to be approved. She had a SEP , or special enrollment period qualification that allowed her to enroll in a Part D plan even though it was in the lock-out period. As you know you can only enroll or change plans during the AEP or Nov. 15th thru Dec. 31st.

We sent her application to a certain drug plan company and NOTHING happened. She called and they said they had no record of her application. We then sent it to them a 2nd time. Again, it got hung up in their system. Meanwhile they miraculously FOUND her first application. We waited and STILL nothing. Finally, we called 1-800 Medicare and had a 3 way converstaion with them and submitted her application to them directly for a 3rd time. She did get a call from the Drug Plan and was sent a Welcome letter that said she could use her letter to get her drugs until her official drug card came to her by mail. When she went to the pharmacy, her letter was denied.

Fortunately, she thought of contacting her REGIONAL MEDICARE OFFICE. She submitted a formal compaint against the Drug Plan and got the CONTRACT NUMBER used by Medicare for her drug plan. She said that the contract number is very imporant information to have because they can identify them very quickly. This was on a Monday. On Wednesday morning she recieved a call from her Drug Plan that her plan was now in force and they even CALLED her pharmacy to tell them to process her prescriptions through her new drug plan.

If you are in a simular situation with any issues that pertain to Medicare Part D or any Medicare issues that you cannot seem to get resolved, please contact your REGIONAL MEDICARE OFFICE.

We thank you, Judy, for sharing your story with us and actually helping someone else that may be in this predicament!!

I have a list of the Medicare Regional Offices and their numbers:

1. Boston – 617-565-1188

10. Seattle – 206-615-2306

If you have recieved a letter telling you that you owe a late enrollment penalty you may be wondering exactly what this is and why you owe it. Since we are almost at the AEP or Annual Enrollment Period, Nov. 15th thru Dec. 31st this should be a concern for anyone who is even considering NOT joining a Part D plan.

People who don’t enroll in a Part D Prescription Drug Plan when they are first eligible to do so may be subject to a late enrollment penalty or LEP if they decide to enroll later on. The LEP is a “lifetime” penalty. That is to say that the penalty amount will be added to their base monthly premium for as long as they remain enrolled in a Medicare Drug Plan.

The penalty is 1% of the average national monthly premium for each full month the person was eligible to enroll, but did not do so. The penalty calculation is started May 16th of 2006 or three months after the beneficiary first becomes eligible for Medicare.

Those people who have creditable prescription drug coverage instead of Part D are exempt from this penalty as long as they enroll in a Part D plan within 63 days of losing their creditable coverage.

The penalty, as we have said before, is meant to be “ENCOURAGEMENT” for you to join a Part D plan. No one knows the future and even if you are not taking prescription drugs NOW, you may need them unexpectedly. That is why it is important to get the coverage. You can choose a Part D plan that is inexpensive, just in case you need it.

We can help you find the Part D plan in your state with the lowest Premium.

www.MyPartDusa.com or

toll free 866-752-1795

www.MyPartDusa.com

To Change or Not to Change?
That is the Question…

Medicare Part D Prescription Plans for 2008

Beginning November 15 to December 31 of 2007 you will have a decision to make regarding your Medicare Part D Drug Plan. Should I change plans? Let’s take a look at the facts:

Every year, every drug plan changes pricing on their premiums and co-pays. They also stop covering some drugs and take on others. Last year one of the nations largest drug plans covered brands during the dreaded “donut hole”. They dropped that coverage and many people who failed to get a new comparison for the upcoming year were left paying a very high premium without that important benefit. Don’t let this happen to you! Educate yourself on the new prices for the drugs you are taking! Make sure that your plan will cover them at the lowest prices.

There are a few changes in the standard model for Medicare Part D Plans for 2008.

Deductible: Going from $265 in 2007 to $275 in 2008

Out of Pocket Threshold: Going from $3,850 in 2007 to $4,050 in 2008

The government giveth and the government taketh away!

However, please don’t fret. You have an extra $1,011 before you hit the donut hole in 2008 and you CAN get a plan with No deductible. We also can give you hints and suggestions on how to save money on your prescriptions that can stretch out the time till you hit the donut hole even farther.

I don’t mean to be a broken record….but if you buy your generics off your plan from the start, you will keep more in the pot to pay for brands. This way you will not fall into the “donut hole” as quickly. As I said before, check the generic list at Wal-Mart and other large retailers to see if your generics are $4 for a one month supply. Do not present your drug card when you purchase them. You may have some generics that are still pricey and you may need to use your drug card to pay for those. However, this hint may keep you out of the dreaded “donut hole” even longer than last year.

The GENERIC form of Coreg is available at Wal-Mart for $4. The name of this medication is Carvedilol. If you are in the “donut-hole” you may be paying full price for this medication at $120 to $249 per month. This drug is used to treat congestive heart failure.

You can also see if they have the other drugs you take on their GENERIC list. As I have mentioned in other blogs you can begin to get your GENERICS at $4 OFF YOUR DRUG CARD before you get into the “donut hole”. This way it will extend the time it takes you to reach it!

For more information you can always reach us toll free:

866-752-1795 or fill out the worksheet