Do You Find That Medicare Part D (the Drug Insurance Part)

[Everhard]

Where have you turned for help? Do you undersand what the polociesreally cover and what they cost? Does your present insurance coverthe cost of your medications?

[Amynedd]

gonefishing said: 1 Croknit, regarding your answer "The internet":Croknit or Tigerpaws?? Anyhow, you did a phenomenal job!!! I justwish you saved all your research info and could put it all up on a sitesomewhere. this is invaluable information. Noone that I know couldor would have gone into the depth you have. The part about thecustomer care? that can speak English is a big plus. I always forgetthat and I really get mad when I have to talk to someone in Taiwanor somewhere. I'm now going to check out Humana here in Cal andsee if its better than what I've got. Wellcare...Mine keeps deleting offtheir formulary everything except meds made in China. Only Joking? 76 months ago

[Cinnfhail]

Croknit said: 2 bowienut, regarding your answer "Get Part D!!": I really like your answer; especially the part regarding AARP. Be aware of any company that makes claims like that. AARP is nothing more or less than a lobbying group. If you want to have AARP insurance, that's fine, but I believe it is a tad higher because of the salaries of all those lobbyists. When needing information regarding Part D-go to the source-check with .gov. In fact, they encourage you to have your own online account with them where your SS and other issues can be managed online. Saves on paperwork. hahahah. What a joke. Just another way the government can outsource work. hahahah.Great, great info on the differences between A,B & D. That is necessary info! Great job. 76 months ago

[Iason]

The internet is where I found out which plans were offered in my county, my state. That's first. Then I checked their formularies against my drugs. The one that covered the most received the most checks(on my checklist). Then I looked into the costs overall, the cost of each med-whether it be tier 1, 2, 3, etc. Then I went to a couple of local pharmacies and asked the pharmacists what companies they've had trouble with, or which ones they HAVEN'T had problems with. I also typed the plan into Google to see if there were any reports from consumers, and one more thing...I checked the state insurance commissioner's site to see if there were any lawsuits against the company. Okay, so armed with all that info, I called each one. If the person who took my info couldn't spell the abbreviation for Massachusetts(MA) I hung up on them. It all came down to: did the person speak fluent English, did they know as much about the policy as me, did they know the Medicare rules and finally, did they recommend comparing policies for my county, state.   All in all for my county-state, I chose Humana. I haven't been sorry. But being disabled, my policy is different than someone who is paying out of pocket expenses and will ultimately fall into that "hole" of coverage. Every senior citizen center is supposed to provide someone from Medicare/Social Security to explain to consumers what is available to them, the coverages and the costs. If you don't have a senior citizen center, ask your local pharmacist for information on where that information is being provided.   And finally, it's government, understand? Heck no...they don't WANT you to understand!!!! Do the best you can! Ain't that right Tigerpaws?   Sources: years of experience Croknit 76 months ago Please sign in to give a compliment. Please verify your account to give a compliment. Please sign in to send a message. Please verify your account to send a message.

[Daibhidh]

is where I found out which plans were offered in my county, my state. That's first. Then I checked their formularies against my drugs. The one that covered the most received the most checks(on my checklist). Then I looked into the costs overall, the cost of each med-whether it be tier 1, 2, 3, etc. Then I went to a couple of local pharmacies and asked the pharmacists what companies they've had trouble with, or which ones they HAVEN'T had problems with. I also typed the plan into Google to see if there were any reports from consumers, and one more thing...I checked the state insurance commissioner's site to see if there were any lawsuits against the company. Okay, so armed with all that info, I called each one. If the person who took my info couldn't spell the abbreviation for Massachusetts(MA) I hung up on them. It all came down to: did the person speak fluent English, did they know as much about the policy as me, did they know the Medicare rules and finally, did they recommend comparing policies for my county, state.   All in all for my county-state, I chose Humana. I haven't been sorry. But being disabled, my policy is different than someone who is paying out of pocket expenses and will ultimately fall into that "hole" of coverage. Every senior citizen center is supposed to provide someone from Medicare/Social Security to explain to consumers what is available to them, the coverages and the costs. If you don't have a senior citizen center, ask your local pharmacist for information on where that information is being provided.   And finally, it's government, understand? Heck no...they don't WANT you to understand!!!! Do the best you can! Ain't that right Tigerpaws?  

[Witter]

bowienut, regarding your answer "Get Part D!!": I really like your answer; especially the part regarding AARP. Be aware of any company that makes claims like that. AARP is nothing more or less than a lobbying group. If you want to have AARP insurance, that's fine, but I believe it is a tad higher because of the salaries of all those lobbyists. When needing information regarding Part D-go to the source-check with .gov. In fact, they encourage you to have your own online account with them where your SS and other issues can be managed online. Saves on paperwork. hahahah. What a joke. Just another way the government can outsource work. hahahah.Great, great info on the differences between A,B & D. That is necessary info! Great job.

[Elyakim]

Croknit, regarding your answer "The internet":Croknit or Tigerpaws?? Anyhow, you did a phenomenal job!!! I justwish you saved all your research info and could put it all up on a sitesomewhere. this is invaluable information. Noone that I know couldor would have gone into the depth you have. The part about thecustomer care? that can speak English is a big plus. I always forgetthat and I really get mad when I have to talk to someone in Taiwanor somewhere. I'm now going to check out Humana here in Cal andsee if its better than what I've got. Wellcare...Mine keeps deleting offtheir formulary everything except meds made in China. Only Joking?

[Lansa]

I called the State when my husband was eligible for Medicare because we didn't understand Part D at ALL let alone the rest of Medicare, and it seemed as if every company in the world mailed him information that only further confused us.A private company was recommended to us . . . I'll give you their information, but since you don't say where you are, I'm not sure it'll be of much use.Anyway, a very nice woman came to our home and spent an entire evening with us explaining it all. Talk about knowing everything about Medicare! We were so impressed with her. Our decision was easy to make then and now we're all set.We're in Oregon and her company is Willamette Valley Benefits, Inc. Her name is Wendy Shaw, and she's the CEO of the company. Her phone # is 503-631-8587, and her e-mail address is [email protected] I'll bet if you contacted her she could help you find someone in your area. She is VERY well informed.Good luck!

[Irven]

Get Part D!! Part D is good if you?re taking any prescriptions.  There are three tiers, depending on how expensive your drugs are, if you need to use the name brand ones(vs. generic), etc. (If you can get your doctour to say you NEED the name brand, and have adverse effects to the generic, that?ll definitely help you!!  Also keep in mind that a lot of Tier 3s are heart-related.) I believe Rite-Aid or Walgreens were giving out info when it first came out. If you want free info, sign up for some "free insurance" brochures.  I used to work for Banker?s Life, and signing people up for Med supps and Part D was SUCH a big thing.  Essentially, if you use prescriptions, you NEED Part D.  You should also get a Medicare supplement(G is generally very good, very comprehensive but not overly priced).  Most people think they?re ok, but A and B only cover so much-- really, just some hospital time, a bit of "therapy/assisted nursing" time, and that?s about it.  It?s also important to sign up as SOON as you can when you turn 65, otherwise you get penalized for each month you?ve waited. AARP is always going on about "the only Medicare supplements approved by AARP, the name you can trust", when it truth, the government regulates the Med supps,, and they will be the same EVERYWHERE in terms of coverage. (You might pay a few more bucks here or there, but that?s it.)  Also keep in mind that the older supps cost more because they?ve been around longer, and as they say in the insurance biz, "you?re paying for the people that signed up in the 80s", so you really shouldn?t sign up for anything less than D or E. Keep in mind, Med supps are COMPLETELY different than Medicare PARTS A & B.  Part A covers the hospitals, Part B covers the drugs in the hospitals, is a quick and dirty explanation of it.  Part D is your drug cover, then there?s your supps. Go to medicare.gov and you can get more in-depth info.  ?Hope my answer has at least helped out a bit though! Sources: working at Banker's Life, Medicare.gov bowienut 76 months ago Please sign in to give a compliment. Please verify your account to give a compliment. Please sign in to send a message. Please verify your account to send a message.

[Aeary]

We were overwhelmed when one of us became eligible for Medicare, but found help. I called the State when my husband was eligible for Medicare because we didn't understand Part D at ALL let alone the rest of Medicare, and it seemed as if every company in the world mailed him information that only further confused us.A private company was recommended to us . . . I'll give you their information, but since you don't say where you are, I'm not sure it'll be of much use.Anyway, a very nice woman came to our home and spent an entire evening with us explaining it all. Talk about knowing everything about Medicare! We were so impressed with her. Our decision was easy to make then and now we're all set.We're in Oregon and her company is Willamette Valley Benefits, Inc. Her name is Wendy Shaw, and she's the CEO of the company. Her phone # is 503-631-8587, and her e-mail address is [email protected] I'll bet if you contacted her she could help you find someone in your area. She is VERY well informed.Good luck! Sources: Our experience/our opinion newbie2558817 76 months ago Please sign in to give a compliment. Please verify your account to give a compliment. Please sign in to send a message. Please verify your account to send a message.