Medicare Drug Plans - Medicare Part D

Selected Links to Medicare Part D Drug Plan Information Pages

Medicare Part D Drug plans have brought out dozens of insurance companies trying to get your business. And you thought that this was going to be great for senior citizens on Medicare?

Think again - these companies are spending millions of dollars on television advertising in an attempt to get you to sign up with them for your Medicare Drug Plans. Apparently the competition is stiff and you need to be prepared to work a little in order to get the best, and cheapest plan for your particular situation.

In order to beat then at their own game you'll need to be prepared. Preparation includes understanding the basic plan and that there can be numerous variations made to the plan by each company. Also, each company is likely to offer many plans and may not provide you with the cheapest alternative that meets your needs.

What you can do:

Know the plans and understand that there will be multiple variations available to you.
Know your prescriptions; drug name, manufacturer, generic availability, daily dosage, formulation (pills, capsules, etc), and concentration (milligrams, etc).
Learn how much your drugs cost.
Call as many plan providers as you can. Don't make a decision on the first few - use them as a learning tool. You can come back to them later.
Be organized - write everything down and document who, when, where of each conversation.

Deciphering Medicare Part D at BankRate.com Enrollment began Nov. 15 for Medicare's first prescription-drug coverage program. Known as Medicare Part D, this benefit will be available to all Americans age 65 and older beginning Jan. 1, 2006, but only if they choose to enroll in one of the approved premium-based insurance plans.

AARP Medicare Part D Explanation: Learn how to choose from many private plans approved by Medicare, what the cost and benefits are, whether you qualify for extra help and much more.

Medicare.gov - Information on the Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage: For the first time ever, everyone with Medicare, regardless of income, health status, or prescription drug usage, will have access to prescription drug coverage. This new coverage begins on January 1, 2006. While information is available now and educational sessions are taking place in communities across the country, you can't enroll until November 15th.

Deciphering Medicare Part D: Financial News - Yahoo!Finance: The hope is that the new, private Medicare prescription-drug plans, offered by private companies and state government agencies, will help reduce prescription drug costs for seniors now and in the future.

Post Gazette: Medicare Part D: 'Ideal' plan could be hard to find: The message has been trumpeted for weeks on TV and radio ads, at the pharmacy counter and in the newspaper: Medicare beneficiaries can begin buying new prescription drug benefits this month.