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Prescription Drug Plan: Table of Contents |
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Overview |
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When can I sign up for Part-D? |
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How do I sign up for a Part-D Plan (Prescription Plan)? |
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What is the best Part-D Plan? |
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What is the Donut Hole (The Gap)? |
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How do I avoid the Gap? |
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Prescription Plan (Part D) Overview |
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The Medicare Prescription Drug Plan, also known as Part-D, also known as PDP, is the Part of Medicare that helps pay for prescriptions that you pick up at a retail pharmacy or through a mail order pharmacy. Part-D plans to not pay for prescriptions used while in the Hospital. (Your Medicare Part A covers medicines taken while in the hospital.) |
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When Can I Sign Up for Part-D? |
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| If you are turning 65 |
You can sign up for a Drug plan any time during the seven months including:
| 1. |
The three months before the month of your 65th birthday |
| 2. |
The month of your 65th birthday |
| 3. |
The three months after the month of your 65th birthday |
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| If you are loosing group coverage |
You can sign up for any Drug plan within 63 days of loosing your group drug coverage |
| If you you are not turning 65 or loosing group coverage (i.e. you just need a Drug Plan) |
You can sign up for any Drug plan each year between November 15th and December 31st. The coverage will begin on January 1st. |
| If you have a Drug plan and want to drop it |
You can drop your Drug plan each year between November 15th and December 31st. Your plan will be dropped effective January 1st. |
| If you have a Drug plan and want to change to another Drug plan |
You can change each year between November 15th and December 31. The change will take effect January 1st. |
ALSO |
You can also "change" Drug plans (and Medicare Advantage Plans) between January 1st and March 31st of each year. The "change" will take effect on the 1st day of the following month. |
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How do I sign up for a Medicare Part-D Plan (Prescription Plan)? |
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The easiest way is to call us and we can take care of everything right over the phone. If you want to do it yourself, then you need to visit Medicare.gov, enter your prescriptions into the Part-D selection tool, contact Medicare, wait on hold for an hour or so. |
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What is the best Part-D Plan? |
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There is no "Best" Part-D plan for everyone. It depends on the exact prescriptions that you are taking. At the end of each year you need to check the Medicare Part-D Database on the home page of www.medicare.gov to see what plan is best for you. Southern Senior Care can also assist you in selecting the best Prescription Plan. Simply contact us by phone, email or fill out our contact form. |
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What is the Donut Hole? |
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Every Medicare Part-D plan has something called the "Donut Hole." It is also refered to as the "Gap." After you have purchased $2,510 worth of drugs, during a calendar year, you enter the Donut Hole. You stay in the Donut Hole until you have spent $4,050 out of pocket. Click Here for an indepth discussion of the Donut Hole. |
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How do I avoid the Gap? |
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There are several things you can do to delay or prevent going into the Donut Hole. Here are a few: |
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Use Generic Prescriptions whenever possible. |
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Request double dosage tablets and cut them in half. (ie. if your prescription is for 10mg tabs, have your doctor write your prescription for 20mg and get a pill cutter.) You can buy a pill cutter at most pharmacies. |
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If it is late in the year and you are trying to stay out of the gap for just a month or so, see if your doctor can give you some samples. |
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If a pharmacy in your area offers generic prescriptions for a price equal to or less than your Part-D plan's co-pay, then get them filled there without filing withy your insurance. Your out of pocket costs are about the same, AND the cost of the prescription will not be added to your "Donut Hole" total. |
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