Monday, November 26, 2018
A: If you’re a professional worrier, I probably can’t stop you from worrying about the Donut Hole. Having said that, there is some encouraging news on the horizon.
Monday, November 19, 2018
A: You might want to ask your doctor to prescribe another medication if the one he or she prescribes is not on your drug plan’s formulary. If your doctor prefers not to prescribe a different medication, then you could submit a coverage exception to your plan.
Monday, November 12, 2018
A: The Medicare Open Enrollment Period takes place every fall between October 15 and December 7. This is the time for people on Medicare who are enrolled in a Part D drug plan or a Medicare Advantage plan to make sure their current plan will still be a good choice for them next year.
Monday, November 5, 2018
A: There is a bit of a ruckus about the Plan F Medicare Supplement. There are rumors that this very popular plan is “going away”. Don’t you believe it! Congress passed legislation that prohibits anyone becoming eligible for Medicare on o ...
Monday, October 29, 2018
A: That’s a fair question. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) says that Part D is voluntary. Here is what Paul Harvey would call “the rest of the story”.
Monday, October 22, 2018
A: You won’t find the drug plan comparison process difficult if you are comfortable using a laptop or a computer. Since the 2019 pricing information is now showing on www.medicare.gov, let’s do a quick run-through of that process.
Monday, October 15, 2018
A: Unless you take no medications at all, there is a good chance the plan with the lowest monthly premium is not the least expensive drug plan for you. Let’s think about this for a minute. You really want to consider ALL the costs related to your pl ...
Monday, October 8, 2018
A: Part D plans have an opportunity to change the drugs they cover as well as their premiums, deductibles and copay amounts every year. It’s not safe to assume the plan you have this year will work as well for you next year. What happens if one of your expensive brand name medications is dropped from the plan’s formulary?
Monday, October 1, 2018
A: In a word, no. The F plan is not going away! Plan F, the most popular of the ten standardized Medicare Supplement plans available today, will no longer be sold to people who become eligible for Medicare on or after January 1, 2020. (This applies to the ...
Monday, September 24, 2018
A: It’s a piece of cake! First, let’s make sure we are all on the same page about who can delay Part B without being charged a late enrollment penalty. In order to delay Part B enrollment without being charges a late enrollment penalty, all of ...