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2011 Part D Enrollment: Winners and Losers
Medicare beneficiaries can change their Part D drug plan (PDP) at the end of end of every year. Once they are in a plan, most are “locked in” for the next year, except for certain special circumstances...
View ArticleMedicare Part D and Deficits
I wanted to find the cost to Medicare for Part D, the drug plan for Medicare beneficiaries that went into effect in 2006. I googled “Part D Medicare budget” and got very good information. In 2010,...
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Brand Drug Cost Overwhelms Medicare Part D Budget
In 2008, Medicare spent $68.3 billion dollars on drugs purchased through Part D plans. This is too much money! Seventy-five percent of the $68.3 billion was spent on brand name drugs like Lipitor,...
View ArticlePart D is kind of complicated.
Yesterday I met with a client who is turning 65 in June. He is a doctor, and this doctor was amazed by how complicated Medicare Part D drug coverage is. As I explained how Part D drug coverage works,...
View ArticleDiabetes: Older drugs are better than newer, more expensive drugs.
Seniors on Medicare who are diabetic face high co-pays for their insulin prescriptions, even when they have a Part D plan. Most types of insulin are tier 2 drugs with a $40 or higher co-pay for each...
View ArticlePart D 2012: Small Premium Increases
The Medicare.gov Plan Finder has 2012 information available, and there will be 30 stand-alone Part D plans sold in Arizona next year. From a quick review of 2012 Part D plans, it looks like the two...
View ArticleMedicare.gov Drug Coverage Mistakes
The Medicare.gov website has incorrect information about the cost of some drugs. I was told this by an internal representative of a Medicare Advantage plan operating in Arizona. In preparation for a...
View ArticleLipitor generic: $17 at Costco. $90 with Part D.
I saw a client last week, and she mentioned she takes Lipitor and it is expensive. I told her Lipitor has gone generic and it should be cheaper now. The generic name for Lipitor is Atorvastatin. I...
View ArticleMedicare Part D: Are you being ripped off?
“Imagine what it would be like if a grocery store never displayed the price of anything. And the price you’re charged might be totally different from the price the next customer is charged for the same...
View ArticleMedicare Part D: Should you pick a plan with a deductible?
Should you choose a Part D plan with a deductible? Most clients’ eyes glaze over as I explain how the deductible works. And I’ve gotten calls from clients who forgot about the deductible in their Part...
View ArticleWhy is Part D so complicated?
Yesterday I met with a client who is turning 65 in June. He is a doctor, and this doctor was amazed by how complicated Medicare Part D drug coverage is. As I explained how Part D drug coverage works,...
View ArticleShould you enroll in Medicare Part D?
If you are turning 65 and enrolling in Medicare, you still have some decisions to make. Will you enroll in a Medicare Advantage plan? Or will you stay with Original Medicare and get a Medicare...
View ArticleTurning 65 this fall? Hold off on enrolling in Part D.
I’ve been talking to a number of people who are turning 65 in November and December. Most of them want to get a Medicare supplement and then a stand-alone Part D plan. But I’m not sure what Part D plan...
View ArticleChoosing a Part D Plan Is Confusing
For people who turn 65 in the last three months of the year, choosing a Part D plan is confusing. I am looking at Medicare.gov Part D plans and I must compare 2014 plan information with 2015. The post...
View ArticlePart D Donut Hole
This video shows you how to use the medicare.gov website to determine if and when you will go into the Part D donut hole. If you take an expensive drug, you are probably going into the coverage gap and...
View ArticleCost of Insulin is Skyrocketing
The cost of insulin is skyrocketing. I have written about clients of mine who are severe diabetics and are clobbered by the cost of their insulin. Their stories are sad and disturbing. The post Cost of...
View ArticlePart D is kind of complicated.
As I explained how Part D drug coverage works, the doctor asked, "Why is this so complicated?" I told him I usually find myself apologizing to clients about Part D, especially people who take no...
View ArticleChoosing a Part D Plan Is Confusing
For people who turn 65 in the last three months of the year, choosing a Part D plan is confusing. I am looking at Medicare.gov Part D plans and I must compare 2014 plan information with 2015. The post...
View ArticleInsulin Prices are Skyrocketing
Insulin prices are skyrocketing. I have written about clients of mine who are severe diabetics and are clobbered by the cost of their insulin. Their stories are sad and disturbing. The post Insulin...
View ArticleCould Not Afford Her Medicine. Man Kills Wife.
Florida man says he killed his sick wife because he could not afford her medicine. 86-year old William Hager told deputies his 78-year old wife was in pain and he could not afford her medicine – so he...
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