Explain Medicare Part D Deductibles
chisue
6 years ago
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sushipup1
6 years agojim_1 (Zone 5B)
6 years agoRelated Discussions
Medicare Part D
Comments (15)I went on medicare on 11-01-12. They would not fill my benicar medicine, until they spoke to the doctor to see why I needed it. It was during the holidays, and he was not going to be in the office until Monday. I went for 4 days without medication, until they could speak with him. I told them, I have been taking it since Dec 1996 when I had my bypass surgery, didn't make a diffrence. They told me that if I needed the medication, I could pay $147 and buy it. They will not let me get a 90 day supply, I have to go every 30 days now and get medication. I can no longer get it at HEB ( they are not approved by medicare, and it cost more to get medication there) I have to get it at CVS, Walgreens, or Wal-Mart. Yep I can tell you all about medicare part D. The summary they sent said I paid $81 for the benicar, and they paid $51 for a 30 day supply. I only paid $5 for it. I am not even going to question them about that. Barbra...See MoreAbout Medicare Part D prescription drug plans....
Comments (11)alisande -- If I were you, I'd go with the cheapest premium. Yes, you *could* pay that $320 deductible -- IF you are prescribed enough meds to reach that limit. (Even if you did, it's still less than your current Part D will be in 2015.) That Humana/Wal-Mart plan is offered here, too. DH and I will each breeze right through that deductible with our outrageously priced meds, regardless, so it may make sense for us too. Our 2014 WellCare Part D is going up from $20/mo. to $30/mo. I don't see keeping that if we can do better. Have you 'run the numbers' on Part D plans on www.medicare.gov Re:Deductibles. In 2012 and 2013 we had a Medicare Supplemental Plan F that paid for everything and the kitchen sink. For 2014 we took a Plan F- High Deductible ($2200/pp deductible) and are money ahead. We could afford to pay that $2200 each if necessary, but I have only had about $300 in out of pocket and DH less. We were still protected in the event of HUGE medical bills. Re: Filling prescriptions. We are fine with 90-day supplies from mail order on our maintenance meds. This year my cost for Advair was a third lower via mail order. (It's still a big rip-off, but that's because the US doesn't negotiate pricing with the pharmaceutical companies.)...See MoreMedicare Part D Question
Comments (6)This is why I am so appreciative of my Medigap policy. It pays any and all deductibles. Medicare Advantage plans are the ones that include medical (so you don't have Original Medicare) and prescription drugs. My Medigap policy is through the California Public Employee Retirement System (CalPERS) for State Retirees, so I have Original Medicare for hospitalization and medical, and the Medigap policy picks up the deductibles and is a second, supplemental, insurance for both. With this coverage I pay zero (the State even reimburses me for the monthly Medicare premium and also pays the monthly Medigap policy premium). The Medigap policy also includes prescription drug coverage (PSP). The PSP has no deductible, just co-pays (e.g., no more than $5 for a 34-day supply for a generic; no more than $10 for a 90-day supply of a generic). The great thing is that the PSP still pays for medications through what would otherwise be the Coverage Gap Stage (a/k/a the "donut hole"). All I would have to pay is the same co-pay as during the Initial Coverage Stage. When I last filled my high blood pressure medications, my co-pay on one of them was LOWER through my Part D coverage (it was $8) than it was when I was on the "basic" insurance as an active state employee (when I paid $10). ChiSue, didn't you say before that you have a Medicare Advantage Plan? Are you thinking of changing to Original Medicare with a separate Plan D?...See MoreMedicare Part D Open enrollment
Comments (8)If you take brand name meds, look into whether or not there is an authorized generic available. Authorized generics are identical to the name brand, but marketed as generics, with generic pricing. The FDA has a page that tells about authorized generics, and there is a link to the current listing of which drugs have an authorized generic. That listing is updated every three months. Two of the meds I take, Effient and Diovan, do not have an authorized generic. I cannot take generic Effient because the generic makes me incredibly dizzy. Effient is a blood thinner, so if I fall and suffer an internal injury/internal bleed, it could be extremely dangerous. So, I pay $100 for a 90-day supply of the brand name drug. And, I get to stop taking Effient at the end of January. (Yay!) Diovan has plenty of generics (valsartan), but most have had recalls because of a cancer-causing ingredient. The one I was taking (160mg by Aurobindo Pharma) has not been recalled, but I didn't want to risk it, so I switched to the name brand. There is an authorized generic for another of my meds, Toprol XL, so that's what I get. When I first started taking Toprol XL, there wasn't a generic. And when a generic was first approved, I was given the authorized generic, and that's what I've had ever since, even though the pharmaceutical company that markets the authorized generic has changed several times....See MoreRose Pekelnicky
6 years agocooper8828
6 years agoschoolhouse_gw
6 years agojewelisfabulous
6 years agolast modified: 6 years agochisue
6 years agoAnglophilia
6 years agochisue
6 years agojewelisfabulous
6 years agoOlychick
6 years agoMDLN
6 years agolast modified: 6 years agochisue
6 years agoAlisande
6 years agoanoriginal
6 years agosushipup1
6 years agoLindsey_CA
6 years agochisue
6 years agoAlisande
6 years ago
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