Review Your Drug Plan
Review your Medicare drug plan annually – especially on years like this, when there are changes in what is available.
Home Access Solutions, Inc. works with designs and equipment that help people live independently at home. We usually don’t have anything to do with drugs, but we work with, and know, people who rely on prescriptions for their health and well being. Many of those people use Medicare for their prescription coverage. I recently attended an educational forum and learned some interesting things about the Medicare Drug Plan. Some of those things frightened me a little because I know that so many people, who need medication, run the risk of poor coverage or interrupted coverage. I just had to do my part to to help educate people at risk.
To learn more, I visited the wonderful folks at Volunteers Assisting Seniors (402) 444-6614. They are part of Nebraska’s State Health Insurance Program (SHIP) and offer free personalized health insurance counseling.
They provided me with the following information about why Seniors should review their drug plan every year and information about some of the changes we can expect this year.
“Each year, Medicare drug plans change and your medication needs can change. It’s not uncommon for drug plans to change their premiums, the drugs they cover on their formularies and the pricing on drugs. It’s important to review and compare plans to make sure that you will have a plan for 2011 that will offer the best pricing and coverage for your specific medication needs. The best way to do this is to compare the plans that will be available in your area. To do a comparison, you would make a list of your drugs, the dosages and the amounts you take as well as your pharmacy of choice and then use the drug comparison tool on Medicare’s website to compare plans. You should look for the overall annual cost for the plan, if all of your medications are on the plans formulary, if there are any restrictions, such as quantity limits or prior authorizations and if your pharmacy of choice will accept the plan.
In 2011, there are 15 drug plans that will no longer be available. If you had one of these plans in 2010, you will need to find a new plan for 2011, as your coverage will end Dec. 31st. Notification of loss of coverage should be sent to beneficiaries in October. You will be able to find a new plan during the open enrollment period so that it will be effective on January 1 and you will not have any lapse in coverage. If a beneficiary does not find a new plan during the open enrollment period, Medicare will give them a “Special Enrollment Period” of one month (January) to enroll in a new plan. Coverage will not be effective until Feb 1, which means a beneficiary has the potential to be without coverage during January.”
If you want some information about what do do, one source of information is the 2011 Medicare handbook: http://www.medicare.gov/publications/pubs/pdf/10050.pdf . However, if you prefer to work with people who have already read the manual and have the training to decipher it, you have other options. You can contact Volunteers Assisting Seniors (402) 444-6614. to schedule an appointment with a trained volunteer who help you use the Medicare.gov website, help you with a drug comparison, and help with enrolling you in a new plan, if you find one that will better meet your needs in 2011.
You can also attend one of the several local events Volunteers assisting Seniors have planned. The Southwest 8 Area Aging on Aging and the Iowa SHIIP program also have some local events. I’ve attached both lists for you. Omaha Council Bluffs If you don’t live in either of these areas, you can go to www.shiptalk.org to find your local SHIPS office.
The open enrollment period is November 15 through December 31. It is just around the corner. We at Home Access Solutions hope that if you use Medicare, you will take steps to help yourself. If you know people who use Medicare for prescription benefits, please make sure they know what they should do.
