3 Tips to Choose Medicare Plan D

Tip 3

REVIEW YOUR PLAN

If you have a drug plan now, this the time to review it. The open enrollment period begins on October 15th. It is the perfect time to take stock because you can change your plan without any penalty and choose another. Don’t worry about being disloyal. You might be pleasantly surprised to find that another insurer offers a program that makes it easier for you to get the medication you need at a lower cost. In addition, a plan that worked for you this year, may not work next year.

Insurance companies change their plans and their rules every year. For better or worse, that requires us to keep up. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services offers a comparison of plans. Its website features a “tool” that allows you to enter your zip code and find the Part D plans available in your state.

Have Conversations

Talk with your friends and family about what they are doing. Often, we treat insurance like a mystery that’s unique to us. It’s not. We can benefit from other people’s experiences.

Ask your Pharmacist

If you have a local pharmacist, it’s a good idea to have a conversation about his or her experience with the different insurers. The pharmacist knows the medications you use, and can probably offer good insight.

Ask your Doctor

Doctors hear all the stories about the difficulties people have with insurers and they have frustrations that are similar to yours. Have a conversation. You may be pleasantly surprised.