If Congress even prevented insurance companies from raising formulary prices during the contracted year, it would be an improvement. People sign up for Part D for a full year, while companies can change their coverage every month!
If Congress even prevented insurance companies from raising formulary prices during the contracted year, it would be an improvement. People sign up for Part D for a full year, while companies can change their coverage every month!
You can’t just get Part D by the year. When we turned 65 we opted not get Dubya’s addition because we didn’t think it necessary. How times and conditions change. My 87 year old husband now takes 6 expensive drugs and in order to maintain them, he is paying the expensive penalty to Medicare. I’m hanging in there going online for best price using GoodRX and other like assists. Just last night we checked out the only maintenance drug I take as I need refill. Price jumped over $7 in the last two months. Some of the drug stores whose prices were listed are $20 over that! Going back to earlier comment here, Walmart has the best price...again. They beat Costco.
What I meant, is that each year I have the option to change which Part D plan I use. Many people search the plans offered to find out which has the best price for the drugs they use. Massachusetts even has a web site to make that easier. Once I sign up, I can't change plans until the next year - but the insurance company can change what they charge me. A friend of mine volunteers to help people navigate that maze, and he has told me of people fighting with insurance companies to keep the coverage they signed up for.
Now that I’m on a plan that pays for a medication I had to go through special approval to get my medication covered for a $95 copay I worry about changing to a different plan and losing that.
The whole thing is a mess. We need national health insurance funded by our taxes, so that actually getting health care and medecines does not require huge additional amounts of money. Plus, the govt needs to be able to negotiate with all drug companies on all drugs, and to take any windfall profits from these huge corporations and use them for the public good.
If Congress even prevented insurance companies from raising formulary prices during the contracted year, it would be an improvement. People sign up for Part D for a full year, while companies can change their coverage every month!
You can’t just get Part D by the year. When we turned 65 we opted not get Dubya’s addition because we didn’t think it necessary. How times and conditions change. My 87 year old husband now takes 6 expensive drugs and in order to maintain them, he is paying the expensive penalty to Medicare. I’m hanging in there going online for best price using GoodRX and other like assists. Just last night we checked out the only maintenance drug I take as I need refill. Price jumped over $7 in the last two months. Some of the drug stores whose prices were listed are $20 over that! Going back to earlier comment here, Walmart has the best price...again. They beat Costco.
What I meant, is that each year I have the option to change which Part D plan I use. Many people search the plans offered to find out which has the best price for the drugs they use. Massachusetts even has a web site to make that easier. Once I sign up, I can't change plans until the next year - but the insurance company can change what they charge me. A friend of mine volunteers to help people navigate that maze, and he has told me of people fighting with insurance companies to keep the coverage they signed up for.
Now that I’m on a plan that pays for a medication I had to go through special approval to get my medication covered for a $95 copay I worry about changing to a different plan and losing that.
The whole thing is a mess. We need national health insurance funded by our taxes, so that actually getting health care and medecines does not require huge additional amounts of money. Plus, the govt needs to be able to negotiate with all drug companies on all drugs, and to take any windfall profits from these huge corporations and use them for the public good.
I thought you could enroll during the fall open enrollment period, anytime????