Medicare Part D Open enrollment

4 years ago

Are you checking your Medicare Part D prescription plan? Open enrollment is going on for a few more weeks, and you can save money in several ways.

I just inputted my prescriptions, and three local pharmacies. Last year, I got the lowest prices at Walgreen's. Next year, same exact plan that I've had this current year, I find that the pharmacy at the grocery store is about 1/2 the cost of Walgreen's. What? That much? Yup.

Each plan you look at will have variables, not just the medications you take but also the store. And this changes every year.

Here's hoping you save some money, too!

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Comments (8)

Lindsey_CA
4 years ago
Our Plan D coverage is included with our Medicare Supplement policy, through the Public Employees' Retirement System. Luckily, the meds that Hubs and I take have always been covered.

Sushipup, when you say your meds next year will cost less at the grocery store pharmacy, are you talking about generic meds, or brand name meds?
sushipup1
Original Author
4 years ago
Both.
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Yes, unless they are for a controlled substance or are for drugs not approved by the FDA, or if you buy them in very large quantities, which may trigger customs enforcement because there's a suspicion you would be reselling them. I assume yours don't fall into these categories. You should be careful to buy from a licensed pharmacy that allows you access to a registered pharmacist in case you have questions. There is a known problem with counterfeits drugs sometimes being sold online, so you do need to be careful.
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It is confusing, Mare...and that's what got me into trouble in the first place. Let me see if I can explain my particular issue to further clarify why I'm being charged a penalty. When my husband died a few years ago, all my benefits died with him due to an agreement he had made with the PBA long before he even knew me. His decision, unfortunately, was irreversible. Throughout our married life...all contact involving his benefits package had to be made by him even though I was covered under all his plans, therefor I was often left in the dark about what the plan included and who the carriers were. I was already enrolled in Medicare when he passed and knew that I would have to replace the supplemental policy he'd had for me with BC/BS. I did so immediately. What I didn't know was that I had to replace the Medicare D policy. I had never needed it and had no idea what it was let alone the fact that it existed as part of his benefits package. To make matters worse, the PBA didn't notify me that I had to replace this coverage with a policy of my own choosing. I went for almost 4 years without realizing that I was in default with Medicare. Fortunately, it was brought to my attention and I applied for a policy but in so doing, I learned that I was going to be penalized for the time that had lapsed between the loss of my husband's coverage for me and my "awakening". The penalty is based on a formula...1% of the policy monthly premium...times the number of months that one goes without coverage. It was a substantial amount to me and I had limited recourse. I contacted Medicare and filed a challenge. They agreed that I had a basis for my challenge. They reduced the penalty by 12 months...but said ignorance of the law was no excuse and I was left responsible for the remaining month's penalty. The penalty is NEVER removed. From now until the day I die...I will have that penalty added to whatever Medicare Part D plan I carry. My only hope to be relieved of this burden is that two US high courts agree with me...that the penalty, along with the Federal edict to force people to carry health insurance above and beyond Medicare...is illegal. If the Supreme Court agrees with the two lower courts, the entire forced insurance system will be reversed and my penalty will be dropped. Needless to say, I'm anxiously awaiting their decision. I hope this gives you a little more info. If you are already enrolled in Medicare, the booklet that they send out every year will give you more information. Or, you can call their office. I've found them to be very helpful...even thought I don't always agree with them. As long as you get Medicare Part D coverage as soon as you're eligible, you shouldn't have to worry about a penalty...unless somewhere along the line you decide to drop the coverage...and then pick it up again at some later date. You'd be penalized for the lapsed coverage time. HTH Anne
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Lindsey_CA
4 years ago
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.
maifleur01
4 years ago
While brand name and generics contain the same medicines often the binder is not the same. That binder can cause the medicine to be absorbed differently. Currently my medicines are generic but back when the first generic for Synthroid came out I could not use it. There was something in the generic or in my system that blocked the actual medication. If anyone decides to switch from a brand name to a generic they should pay attention to how it is affecting their body and report any changes immediately to their doctor.

I am not a fan of buying Brand Name anything but I am also aware that for somethings only one brand/generic works for a person.
ravencajun Zone 8b TX
4 years ago
Yes and I will be changing plans. I need to talk to my agent about the new possibilities.
chisue
4 years ago
We've already 'done the dance' and enrolled in our 2020 Part D plans -- both of us changing yet again. Our 2019 plans would have cost us much more next year. Fortunately, next year both of our plans favor the same pharmacy (CVS). We should be receiving our new plan cards in about a week, presuming we are 'acceptable' to them.

Just to be thorough, this year I contacted DH's former employer's health services company to have them run through the options I'd found online with Medicare.gov Two 'possibles' I'd flagged were not on their radar because...they don't sell those plans. (You shouldn't miss out if 'your agent' doesn't have a contract to sell the XYZ company's plan. It's easy to choose and enroll via the Medicare site.)

I did learn something new by speaking with the benefits person. I had not understood that we could change our Medicare Supplement insurance at any time, not only within a specific 'enrollment period'. I had also not understood that our Plan F High Deductible could continue even if we switched insurance companies -- it would 'travel with us' to another policy. Now I'll need to do some new comparisons on this front.
Lindsey_CA
4 years ago
"While brand name and generics contain the same medicines often the binder is not the same. That binder can cause the medicine to be absorbed differently."

A generic drug must have the same active ingredients and the same method of delivery. Inactive ingredients can be -- and are -- different.

"I am not a fan of buying Brand Name anything but I am also aware that for somethings only one brand/generic works for a person."

That's why Authorized Generics are so good. They are manufactured by the same pharmaceutical company that manufacturers the brand name medicine. In fact, they are the EXACT SAME THING, just marketed as a generic.
Lars
4 years ago
I'll have to call my agent - I got a notice from him offering Blue Shield as an alternative to SCAN, as the UCLA doctors and hospitals will accept Blue Shield. However, I don't think it will save me money, but it might provide wider coverage than SCAN, which can be used only in the Los Angeles area, as it is part of UCLA, I think. If I do end up moving to Palm Springs, I will need to change my insurance, but that won't happen for a while.

Medicare Part D Open enrollment

Comments (8)

Lindsey_CA

sushipup1
Original Author

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Medicare Part D Open enrollment

Comments (8)

Lindsey_CA

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Original Author