A: Medicare’s official website
www.medicare.gov is your go-to destination to look at all the Part D plans available in your state. The site’s Plan Finder tool will generate a list of the top ten plans in terms of estimated annual cost based on your specific medications. All you need to provide is the name and dosage of each one of your prescriptions, your zip code and the name of your pharmacy. It’s easily done if you have a few minutes and are comfortable on the computer.
If that’s not the case, you can call Medicare at 800-633-4227 or SHIP – the State Health Insurance Assistance Program. (Find the number for your state’s SHIP program at
www.shiptacenter.org). Neither option is affiliated with an insurance company. Both agencies provide this service for free. Medicare is available by telephone 24/7. SHIP staff and volunteers are not available 24/7 but you should be able to get a face-to-face appointment with them if you contact them early enough during the October 15 – December 7 Open Enrollment Period.