Medicare Health Plan
Welcome to our PlanPrescriber Newsletter
Our goal is to help Medicare Beneficiaries save money by getting the most from their Medicare benefits and related insurance services. Our newsletter is designed to provide helpful tips for anyone on Medicare, from how to save money on your prescription drug purchases, to understanding and utilizing all the benefits of your plans, to seeing if you might qualify for government assistance. In addition, www.PlanPrescriber.com and our call center (1-800-838-0346) provide free comparisons on the 3 major types of Medicare-related insurance products: Prescription Drug Plans, Medicare Advantage Plans and Medicare Supplement Plans.
We hope you find our newsletter helpful.
The PlanPrescriber Team
When can I enroll in a Plan?
The annual enrollment period (AEP) for Medicare Prescription Drug Plans and Medicare Advantage Plans runs from November 15th to December 31st each year. Any Medicare recipient can enroll in a plan or switch plans at this time. There are, however, Special Enrollment Periods (SEP’s) for many individuals throughout the year. These include, but are not limited to the following:
You can enroll in a Medicare Supplement plan at any time, but may have to meet certain health requirements. Not sure if you qualify to enroll now? Call one of our benefit specialists and find out. Call us today at 1-800-838-0346. Our friendly and knowledgeable staff is standing by from 9:00-5:00pm EST, Monday-Friday.
Save money on your prescription drug purchases
There are a variety of simple ways to lower the costs of your medications. Most people use some, but not, all of the major strategies to keep your drug bills to a minimum.
One of the most important steps you can take is to make certain all the drugs you are prescribed are covered by your insurance plan. If you have a drug that’s uncovered, ask your doctor about other drug alternatives that may be covered. If you can’t insurance coverage for a particular drug, call different pharmacy chains to see what they will charge for that drug. The same drug will have different prices at different pharmacies. Another alternative is to ask your doctor if he or she has any free samples of the drug.
Whether you’re enrolled in a Medicare Prescription Drug Plan or not, generics are a great way to save money on your medications. Generics are chemically equivalent to the branded products prescribed by your doctor. Last year Wal-Mart, along with many other pharmacy chains, introduced a $4 generic program that is saving money for millions of senior citizens. Wal-Mart recently introduced an expansion of their program to cover even more drugs and to offer special discounts on a 90-day supply of certain medications. If you live near a Wal-Mart check out their program. Even if you don’t have access to a Wal-Mart, many of the other large chains, like CVS and Rite Aid have discount programs of their own. Be sure to ask your pharmacist about them to see if they could save you money.
Pill splitting may also be an option for you. In cases where the cost of your prescription would be the same regardless of dosage, you may be able to get your doctor to prescribe pills for twice the dosage you need and then you can cut them in half.
Are gas prices getting you down? Here’s a gas saving tip.
With gas prices as high as they are, why use gas for unnecessary trips? Many Medicare Prescription Drug plans offer free delivery service for medications purchased in 90-day quantities. Some companies even offer a discount on 90-day quantity orders. By purchasing those drugs you use continually in 90-day supplies, you can save three trips to the pharmacy and may have lower co-pays for the same amount of pills.
Do I Qualify For Medication Discounts & Other Aid?
There are dozens of governmental assistance programs for seniors yet billions of dollars go unclaimed each year! The main causes of unclaimed benefits are that seniors a) aren’t aware of all the available programs, b) assume their income or assets are too high to qualify for the programs they know, and c) don’t know where to find information on senior assistance programs.
The National Council on Aging (NCOA) provides a powerful online screening tool that can identify possible sources for assistance and discounts. In some cases, the tool even provides the application forms you need to get you started. An online questionnaire takes less than 20 minutes to complete and the tool will then display those programs for which you appear to be eligible. This is one of the best investments of 20 minutes you can make. Check it out at www.benefitscheckup.org