any recomendations for a Medicare Rx supplement plan?

D

da gimp

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I believe it's called a Type D policy that I want to get, or look into. Our prescription insurance plan went from being great... with $4.00 generic copays & $10.00 name brand copay...... to being atrocious after Obamacare went into force....... now a name brand copay is $40.00 per month..

If you have plans that are turning you down for drugs that your doc prescribes I'd like to hear about those too.......one friend of ours said his plan was great, except for the prescriptions that they refuse to fill.......and his plan doesn't substitute a generic for those RX's it turns down either........
 
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da gimp said:
I believe it's called a Type D policy that I want to get
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Type D plans are highly regulated, unlike ordinary medical insurance. Here is some info about how it works:

https://www.medicare.gov/part-d/

Here are a couple of sites for comparing plans:

Compare Medicare Advantage & Supplemental Plans | MedicareSolutions
Health Insurance Online | Affordable Quotes and Plans for Consumers

You will want to check to see if each company's plan formulary covers any *expensive* drugs you use.
 
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I have used "express scripts medicare" part D plan for several years and am very happy with the customer service and co pay for my prescription medications.....
 
I have Humana Rx plan and it stinks. Stay away. Don't know how Kaiser is in Your area. Here They are fantastic and I am switching. Stay away from United Health also. Good Luck.
 
Medicare feller told me that I was essentially paying my premium without prescription program and for a "wet back" who would be getting full medicare program plus prescription drugs for free.:mad:
 
become a member of the Walgreens drug plan. Not all meds are available or covered but if hey are...its your best value instead of any insurance plan.
 
Also consider not enrolling in Medicare part D (the drug coverage part) although you may have a penalty if you decide to enroll at a later date. It may be cheaper to pay cash for your medications. An excellent and easy to use website for good coupons to save money on rx medications for cash pay patients is goodrx.com. In a few minutes you would be able to check out the prices you can get your rx medications for.
 
A few encountered Part D prices etc.

Before I start, I asked my Doctor about ins plans and he told me just stay away from Humana!!
I went with my blue cross blue shield for my Part D I found out the hard way that to stay away from local Pharmacies. Their prices are much higher than mail order price. Normally we jsut care about the co-pay but when your drug prices go above $2800 you are in the "donut Hole" and that can be expensive. So watch your total costs.
 
Yeah the mail order programs sometimes give you a 90 day supply and you don't have to do a co-pay every time you fill a prescription like you do locally.
 
on our regular prescription plan, the only meds we can purchase locally are PRN (take as needed) meds & urgent meds like antibiotics or nitrostat............ if the medicines are for a long term condition we have to get them thru the mail thru our plan...... and they fill & send 3 months at a time & charge you for all 3 copays at that time too............

I didn't get type D coverage when I went on Medicare in 2000, I had 2 private insurance plans both had prescription coverage.....I'll start hitting the web sites hard tomorrow then start calling for even more info before I bring the Boss (my wife) into the equation...... she is fairly astute at ferreting out unknown variables in dealing with regulatory agencies........ she's in quality control at a large firm here.
 
In ABQ there's a plan called UNM Care. It's from the University of New Mexico Hospital. If you meet income requirements and go their network of pharmacies, and medical, they cover co-pays. My folks have a BCBS medicare advantage plan on top of UNM Care. They have no co-pays. Without the UNM care, they'd have copays.

The old ins went from $10 Rx copays to 20% of the cost. We had to keep that ins. so my dad could keep his oncologist. That plan is going away this year so, I'm looking at straight medicare plus a supplement for them.

I would check in your area to see if there's a program like UNM Care or talk to an Insurance Broker.
 
"Also consider not enrolling in Medicare part D (the drug coverage part) although you may have a penalty if you decide to enroll at a later date."

When you turn 65, you sign up for Medicare. Part A, hospitalization, is free (well, you've been paying for it for years). Part B, doctor's visits, currently costs $104.90 monthly, unless you have been a big wage earner all of your life, then it is more. However, if you are still working for a company that employs more than 20 people and you have group insurance, you don't have to sign up for Part B yet. The same goes if you are covered under a spouse's plan. When that coverage end (retirement or leaving employment), sign up.

The penalty kicks in if the above doesn't apply and you refuse Part B when it is available. There is a 10% penalty for every 12 months that you aren't signed up. Example: skip Part B at age 65 and wait until you are 67 to sign up, you pay 20% more.

Most folks have Medicare deducted from their Social Security payments. My dad didn't draw SS benefits, due to being a retired Federal employee. He paid the Part B Medicare quarterly.

You can sign up for either Part A or B through your local Social Security office. However, you must go to Medicare for questions about Part C or D. There are no local Medicare offices. You call 1-800-MEDICARE to speak to a real person. Be prepared to WAIT.
 
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