QUESTION:  I am new to Medicare, how do I maximize my Part D drug plan benefits and get the most savings on my medications?

ANSWER:  I am going to walk you through step-by-step of how to get the most savings out of your drug plan. 

1.  Before you enroll on a Part D drug plan, the very first thing you need to get is a comparison of the Part D plans, based on your individual medications, so that you know what plans cover your drugs and which plan will save you the most in co-pays and premiums.  We can help you with your comparison anytime of the year, if you are just getting on Medicare or have lost your coverage through your retirement program.  After that, you will need to get a comparison once every year during the AEP, or Annual Enrollment Period of November 15 thru December 31st.  This is the time of year that you can change your drug plan, making sure that you continue to have your drugs covered at the lowest prices.  All the drug plans change the drugs they cover on their formulary and the prices they will charge you every year!  Don’t make the mistake of just “keeping what you have”.  Your loyalty will cost you!  YOU NEED TO FIND THE PLAN THAT WILL SAVE YOU THE MOST IN CO-PAY’S AND PREMIUMS ON THE FIRST 2,700 DOLLARS OF YOUR PLANS BENEFIT BEFORE THE “DREADED DONUT HOLE” IN 2009.

2.  January 1st of every year your Part D drug plan benefits start over.  You will have to purchase $2,700 worth of medications before you fall into the “dreaded donut hole” in 2009.  This is not the co-pay costs, but the RETAIL COSTS are used to add up your purchases.  To maximize your benefits you can begin by NOT purchasing as many of your generic drug as possible using your drug plan.  WHY?  Wal-Mart and some other large retailers have a list of over 300 generic drugs that they sell for $4 for a 30-day supply.  If you email me, I will send you this list.  If you don’t like using Wal-Mart for some reason, many chain drug stores are doing this as well.  Check with them and buy them without using your drug plan, don’t give them your drug plan card and tell the pharmacy this is not to be added to your drug plan coverage.

The reason for this is that every prescription you purchase goes toward the “dreaded donut hole”.  If you purchase your generics off your drug plan, you will have more money left in the pot to pay for your expensive medications, thereby keeping you OUT of the “dreaded donut hole” longer!  Also, when your doctor prescribes a NEW drug for you, tell him/her then and there that you need to use the older tried and true meds, instead of the new designer drugs that are so expensive, IF your doctor feels like you will be able to get the same results.  For those of you that love Sally Field (I DO) and the other celebrities that sell designer drugs and you want to help the drug companies pay their huge salaries for their endorsement (I DON’T), please ignore this advice.  HA! Then tell him/her you need to take samples first, to make sure this drug will work for you.  You would not believe how many prescriptions people get each year that go toward their “dreaded donut hole” and they end up NOT EVEN TAKING THEM, BECAUSE THEY DON’T LIKE THE SIDE-EFFECTS, OR THEY SIMPLY DON’T WORK FOR THEM.  This will keep you out of the donut hole longer as well!

3.  The only folks who need to be concerned about what happens when they hit the “dreaded donut hole” are the folks who know they WILL get to the other side and begin the catastrophic coverage of 95%.  Most people don’t fall into the donut hole.  The rest fall in and never reach the other side.  If you fall into either of those categories, you should STOP USING YOUR DRUG PLAN when you reach the donut hole.  You MUST continue to pay your monthly premiums so you won’t have a penalty, but THERE IS NO NEED TO PAY MORE FOR YOUR MEDICATIONS THAN YOU ABSOLUTELY HAVE TO PAY!!  You will need to do a little research at this point and call your pharmacist and other drug stores to see how much your medications will cost using your drug card, and how much they would cost without using it.  Many of the drug plans charge you a higher retail price while you are in the “dreaded donut hole” to make up for loses they incurred while you were on the much cheaper co-pays amounts.  YOU CAN BUY OR ORDER YOUR MEDICATIONS ANYWHERE YOU CAN FIND THEM CHEAPER!!  You can’t afford to be loyal to your drug plan as they are not loyal to you!

4.  If you have serious on-going health problems and know that you take so many medications that you will ACTUALLY fall into the donut hole and make it across to the 95% catastrophic coverage, YOU MUST CONTINUE TO USE YOUR PART D DRUG PLAN CARD SO THAT ALL THE MEDICATIONS YOU PURCHASE GO TOWARD YOUR GETTING OUT OF THE DONUT HOLE. 

Now, please read my other drug savings tips and donut hole advice by clicking on them in the category section on the left side of this page!  I have much more to tell you!

I hope this answered your question, if not, please write to me, Karyn Blake, and I will find an answer for you ASAP.

The United States House of Representatives Committe on Oversight and Government Reform has just issued a report about Part D Plans and how much the drug plan companies are making from taxpayers. 

There is a huge windfall of revenue going to the drug plan companies because Medicare cannot negotiate prices with the Drug Manufacturers in the same way that Medicaid does.

Eliminating the drug manufacturer windfall would realize substantial savings to federal taxpayers.  Over the next ten years, taxpayers would save $86 billion if the Medicare Part D insurers paid Medicaid prices for drugs used by the dual eligible beneficiaries (people on extra help programs).  If Medicare negotiated directly with the drug manufacturers and obtained prices equivalent to the Medicaid prices for ALL MEDICARE BENEFICIARIES, the potential savings to taxpayers increases to $156 billion.

PLEASE, FOLKS, CALL OR WRITE YOUR SENATORS, CONGRESSMAN, LOCAL OFFICALS AND EVEN THE PRESIDENT TO INSIST MEDICARE BE ABLE TO NEGOCIATE PRICES WITH DRUG MANUFACTURERS!!! 

This would really make such a huge difference in the price you pay for your medications!!!

TAKE THE TIME TO MAKE SOME NOISE ABOUT

THIS!!!  IT IS YOUR MONEY, SO SAVE IT!!!

Now that the new year has begun and the lock-out period for changing or enrolling a a Part D Plan is here; we must be aware of the SEP’s or Special Enrollment Periods. You may be able to change or enroll in a Part D plan anytime of year.

* NEW TO MEDICARE

* LOST DRUG COVERAGE, SUCH AS RETIREMENT BENEFITS

Many people have illnesses and go into rehab or a nursing home and get on many new medications they did not have before. You can call us and get a comparison of the Part D Plans that would cover these new medications at the lowest prices.

If you move to a new state or out of your insurance coverage area we can help you change your plan.

Everyday there are many people just getting their Medicare benefit coverage. Of course, we can help you anytime of year during your open enrollment period. You have 6 months before, the month of, and 6 months after to get your Medicare Supplement with no underwriting. This may be the only time in your life that you can get health insurance with no questions asked. You are guarenteed coverage!

Yes, that is right! If you are eligible for joining a Medicare Part D drug plan and do not get enrolled by Dec. 31st you will begin or continue to acrue a 1% penalty per month added onto the premium of your plan for life when you do need to join.

Medicare knows that everyone needs to get on a drug plan as protection from catastrophic drug prices. That is why they encourage you to get a plan, even if you do not currently take many or any meds. WHY? Because you don’t wait to get car insurance until AFTER you have an accident, DO YOU? A Part D drug plan is insurance protection that could help you if, God forbid, you get diagnosed with Cancer or have a Heart Attack during the year. Also, as we get older the chances for medication needs grows higher.

If you take no medications, you need to get on the plan with the lowest premium cost in your state. MY Part D USA can help you with this quickly and easily.

Remember, Monday is the 31st!!!

866-752-1795

We will be taking our last online enrollment on the website on Monday the 31st at 4 o’clock in the afternoon. Please, if you are waiting to enroll, get your choices in to us before this time.

If you need to enroll after that, you can go to Medicare’s website and enroll until 12 o’clock midnight on the 31st.

Please remember that since you are enrolling late you will not have your drug card and new plan information for 14 business days. You must save your receipts for those purchases to be reimbursed from your new plan.

There are only 4 more days left to make your selections for Part D plans in 2008. You can always call us for assistance toll free at
866-752-1795.

MY PART D USA wishes you and your family a safe and
HAPPY NEW YEAR!

We hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas, and now we look forward to the New Year of 2008.

If you have not made your changes to your drug plan or enrolled in a Medicare Part D Drug Plan, you only have 6 more days to do so. If you do not get your 2008 comparison, you will not know which plan will save you the most money on your prescriptions next year. Please go to www.MyPartDusa.com and enter in your drug names, making sure you have the generic names if you take generics. The top 5 plans will come up for you in your state. You can then choose the one that looks best for your savings and enroll.

Please also be aware that since you are enrolling so late, you will not get your new drug card to take to the pharmacy for 14 business days. This means you will not have your card for January 1st purchases, so you must keep your reciepts on anything you buy and your new drug plan will reimburse you for that cost. Your plan will be in effect January 1, but it may not be through processing yet.

If you have any questions you can always reach me at 866-752-1795.

Please don’t wait until the last minute to get yourself enrolled on your new Medicare Part D drug plan for 2008. If you do wait, you will not get your new card and information before the middle to late January. This could cause you problems if you need to get a prescription filled before that time.

Also, there is some confusion as to how many choices you can made during the AEP. We have had calls from people who have enrolled for 2008, THEN want to change again. Please be aware that you can make only one election for 2008. You can understand that if you send up several choices to Medicare they would NOT know which one you want to keep. If you call us and want to cancel your 2008 enrollment that has already been submitted, you cannot do this. If you cancel your choice for 2008, you will not have a drug plan for 2008. We had a lady last week that vowed and declared that Medicare told her she could change her drug plan. She did not understand that SHE COULD CHANGE HER DRUG PLAN, BUT ONLY ONCE!!! Only ONE CHOICE in each AEP or Annual Election Period. This choice can be made each year from Nov. 15th to Dec. 31st.

We have also recieved calls from folks that claim that when they called a particular drug plan company to enroll in a Part D plan, they were sold a Medicare Advantage Plan with a built in Prescription Drug Plan. YOU MUST BE EXTRA CAREFUL WHEN YOU ARE BEING SOLD SOMETHING over the phone, THAT YOU ABSOLUTELY UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU ARE AGREEING TO ENROLL IN. If you feel that you have been misled, you can call Medicare to help you. A Medicare Advantage Plan with a built in PDP is changing your coverage for your doctor and hospital, as well as changing your drug plan.

If you need a comparison of National Drug Plans you can go to our website to see this immediately online with easy enrollment.

www.MyPartDusa.com

You can also call us toll free with questions: 866-752-1795

Medicare has always requested that you get your plan changes in byDecember 7th, 2007 to have a smooth transition for 2008. This means that if you make changes after TODAY, you may not get your new plan WELCOME packet with your new card to take to the pharmacy by January 1, 2008.

If you are planning to wait later in this month of December to make your plan change, please be patient. With all the hundreds of thousands of people who are enrolling you may not receive your new packet and card until after January. It usually takes at least 14 business days for the processing, but due to the busy time of year, it could take longer, the longer your wait to make your changes!

We encourage you to go to the comparison and make your decision as soon as possible. www.MyPartDusa.com

Once you see your comparison, if you have questions you can reach us toll free at 866-752-1795.

We hope that you and your family are having wonderful Holiday experiences!