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?

Both.

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.

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.

Yes and I will be changing plans. I need to talk to my agent about the new possibilities.

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.

"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.

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.