Quote:
Originally Posted by striveforhealth
Hi - Part of my work in NH is to do Medicare Counseling (including helping to review Medicare Part D plans) under the SHIP Program. Florida has a similar program - SHINE - Home. Part of the issue could be that Part D plans can now have "Preferred Pharmacies", and that also accounts for some of the cost differences you're seeing. You can do a personalized Part D comparison on Medicare.gov: the official U.S. government site for Medicare or work with a SHINE person - they have regular times they're available at TV. |
Thanks for the suggestion! Let me go backward a bit and explain that when Medicare Part D was first created, I was not only not eligible for it but at the time I had coverage that was superior. Even so, I was quite vocal about how terrible the plan was set up, as it appeared to support the insurance and pharmaceutical industries more than the senior consumer. In time, however, I was required to select a Part D plan, and so I researched … and I researched … and I researched. I still could not figure out in which direction to go.
I made an appointment with someone in the office up north, comparable to what you’re suggesting, and began with my list of questions. After a long pause, the woman explained that she was a volunteer, that at that point I already knew more than she or any of her colleagues knew, and that would I consider being a volunteer there?! Unfortunately I could not, because of the distance from home, but if not for that, I would have been happy to.
So I am familiar with the plans and how they work. In my situation, all the pharmacies involved in my original posting—Publix, Walgreens, and Walmart—and others as well—are preferred providers. Initially I took that to mean that the cost would be the same no matter which I used. Wrong! The reason I started this thread was to share with others what happened to me in the hopes that I can prevent at least one person—and hopefully more—from being taken advantage of (a polite way of saying “being victimized” or “being ripped off”…).