Which Prescription Medicare Program for Seniors is the Best?

[norml]

My parents are asking me, and I have no idea.

They are in their early eighties, and have income of $34,000 per year.

My dad gets his meds from the Vets.

My mom gets some of hers from Canada, however the US is making that more difficult.

So of those available which company is offering the best plan?

[catmandu57]

1. I don't know

My wife is facing the same dilemma with her mother, I told her to draw a name they're all going to screw you.

[gizmo1979]

2. Good luck.

My inlaws have been looking at the plans for months and know no more then tey did when they started.It's a Bush Fiasco,handout to the insurance and pharmacueticals.

[NMDemDist2]

3. with over 60 to choose from and the fact that the companies can change

their approved drug lists at any time, it's a crap shoot

take a look for plans that cover your Mom's meds and see if that narrows down the choices and go from there

good luck (they'll need it)

[William769]

4. All the people I know are opting for the AARP one

Also my pharmacist whom I trust, has recommended that thats the one we take. It seems to cover the most medicines with least amount for copays.

[Lars39]

6. That was more of the more expensive plans I found

when I was researching for my dad's plan.

[William769]

8. what State are they from?

were they eligible for medicaid?

[Lars39]

10. No. TN.

[norml]

7. I'd assume that AARP would offer a good plan.

Humana has been offering all you can eat buffets.

[Lars39]

5. I know folks like to compare their drug plan to someone else's plan

but that's really not possible unless they are taking the exact same drug, dosage and frequency.
They will need two plans; one for each parent, so you will need to plug each of their meds into the medicare.gov site. Don't combine their drugs into one list.

You need to know if the plan is accepted at the pharmacy(unless mail prescription is the route they want to go, or is the cheapest route) they want to use, what tier the drugs are in, if they have limitations, and if the drugs require "step therapy". There are some plans that cover the cost of the drugs during the "donut hole", or gap. The monthly premiums are higher, but it might turn out to be the cheaper plan.

I *highly* recommend that you utilize your printer.

PM me if you need help.

[DebJ]

9. I think you will need a specific listing of each one's meds and

then compare that online to the programs available. Some programs will not pay for some drugs.

[TahitiNut]

11. That's like asking what cell-phone plan is best.

It's also what enrages me about such 'services' ... where the conditions and coverages are made so deliberately convoluted that the consumer, lacking the comprehensive data and computer power, is placed in the position of not being able to compare services on an even playing field.

This is the kind of marketing that cries out for public regulation. I'm not advocating that government do the definition of services, but I am arguing that we require the industry to pare down their service offerings to STANDARD services. Industry standards are imperative. This is why Homeowners Insurance policies are standardized. The historical abuses of fine print and exceptions led to regulation that insisted that the industry offer STANDARD (and comparable) coverages.

[Freddie Stubbs]

12. It depends on which meds they are on

The only way to pick a plan is to invstigate a few and figure out which one is the best deal for their situation.

[bananas]

13. Are there any good discussion sites around? nt

[Cleita]

14. Nor will you ever have an idea from the way the program is

set out. This is the biggest pharmaceutical scam yet, a big bonanza for the drug companies at the expense of seniors. I really think all seniors should boycott it. I know that I am.

There is no best plan. It depends on what your needs are and they may not be what you need years down the line but you will be stuck with the plan you are enrolled in. Not only that they will be subject to the donut hole, that cuts all drug payments at a certain level and then resumes it after a certain amount of money has been paid out of pocket. The trouble is people who can't afford the drugs will never reach that plateau where the program kicks in again.

I figured out that with the premium and what I would have to pay our of pocket, my drugs will cost more than with the modest discount plan that I presently have with my Medigap plan so I am not changing and I'm not enrolling.

Very few people will actually benefit from this program, but the pharma companies will have an abundance of cash because they can charge anything they want to charge. There is no negotiated prices for the drugs and they will be paid out of the already compromised Medicare fund, which is stretched to the limit right now.

[El Supremo]

15. Go here and answer the questions.

It worked well for me. This will give you the best choices.

https://www.medicare.gov/MPDPF/Public/Include/DataSection/Questions/Questions.asp

If this exact link doesn't work, just look for "Find a Medicare Prescription Drug Plan"

[OffWithTheirHeads]

17. Thank you so much

you'll never know what a help you have been

[Gloria]

16. I hate to say it...but the damned Walmart/Humana plan here

in NM is the best one! Highest coverage in terms of the top drugs, lowest price. Aside from a few of the terms that I'm still trying to figure out...namely, "tiers"...it outdoes some of the higher priced plans. And that includes the one from my Medicare Supplement insurer--whcih has a paltry 75% coverage of the top drugs. And you pay through the nose if you want to eliminate the deductible. That, combined with the drugs not on their list...well, it's a real ripoff.

I haven't signed on to anything yet, though. Read that it's wise to wait and see what happens as things shake out.

One thing I DO know...the AARP plan sucked.

My doctor advised me to just sign up for the cheapest one, so later I won't get hit with that ridiculous penalty which kicks in if you wait until after the initial signup time. The formularies change and you can change your plan every year, I think, so if you're screwed you can be screwed for as little time as necessary. The key thing is to avoid that 25% penalty or whatever it is....that would really mount up over time.

[norml]

18. Humana has been trying to woo them with all you can eat buffets.

So they've been talking about them.

[William769]

19. Lets see now, Wallmart is involved.

Giving away free food (junk food I'll bet), yea I see whats going on there.

[norml]

20. That was my first reaction, however they do use the Walmart pharmacy

for their non Canadian meds.

Gloria recommends Humana, which I guess is in with Walmart.

You recommend AARP, and I figure AARP is probably good.

Lars39 says AARP is more expensive.

It's all so confusing.

However I am glad to be getting your opinions.

[OneBlueSky]

21. "which plan is best" is meaningless for two reasons . . .

first, it depends on what medications you're taking and whether those particular medications are included in a plan's formulary, or list of approved drugs that they'll pay for . . .

second, and far more important, is the fact that these plans can change their formularies (or any other aspect of their plans, for that matter) simply by providing their "patients" (i.e. suckers) with two month's notice . . . while the patients MUST remain on the plan they selected for a full year, even if the plan decides to drop that particularly expensive drug that you need each month . . .

this whole thing has little to do with helping medical consumers (the folks we used to call patients) and is all about funneling billions and billions of tax dollars (or, more accurately, borrowed funds) to the insurance and pharmaceutical industries (otherwise known as "Bush's base") . . . it was those industries, after all, that constructed the whole Medicare Part D fiasco and wrote the law and the regulations in the first place . . . making sure they would work to their benefit rather than to the benefit of seniors . . . and it's low income seniors who are going to be hit especially hard . . .

[norml]

22. I know all that, and it's why I've spoken out against it, however

my parents will probably sign up with it so I'd like to help them make a selection.

[Bozita]

23. Thom Hartmann tried to figure it out for his MIL. BIL helped. Spent a day.

No verdict.

Thom mentioned it on his show about a month ago.