Quote:
Originally Posted by OrangeBlossomBaby
If you have Part D, that means you're not on an "Advantage" plan and pay for part B instead. But part B has a deductible, and doesn't cover everything, and has co-pays, out of pocket expenses, and is basically an 80/20 plan. If you want to flesh out that Part B with coverage for all that other stuff, you have to get a Medigap plan. Minimum for a woman age 65 in Lake County who doesn't smoke tobacco is $43 for plan G "high-deductible" which doesn't start to cover you until you've fulfilled $2875 in the part B deductible AND paid an additional $257 deductible.
Free meds are great if you have expensive prescription needs. But for tier 1 generics, you can usually get a 90-day supply at Walmart for $10 without any insurance at all.
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As the Original Poster, let me clarify. Yes, I am on Original Medicare and a supplement and not an Advantage plan. Reasons and costs of that decision are not an issue.
However, for the most part medications are not included. Thus, I chose a Medicare Part D plan even though my medications were few and inexpensive. Choosing a Part D Plan also comes with a protection from catastrophic costs (currently capped at $2000 per year).
I originally chose a plan Caremark (Aetna) with a (Growing) premium and tier one costs started at $0 but grew to $30/qtr. This year I investigated options and explored Well Care which has no monthly premium and Tier 1 costs are $0.
My question was geared to how does Well Care pay the admin and product costs associated with people like me. Yes I know some drug costs are low, but they are also ensuring that my Max costs will not exceed $2000.
I know that the government provides funding for Medicare Advantage programs but have not seen any descriptions of funding Medicare Part D plans. (Other than assistance for some beneficiaries.)