It’s important for seniors to evaluate their Medicare prescription drug plan every year. Plan benefits can change, including prescription drug coverage, premiums, deductibles and pharmacy benefits. As you do your research, you may run into a few misconceptions. Walgreens vice president of specialty and retail pharmacy operations Rina Shah debunks five common myths about Medicare Part D.
Myth 1: Your Medi-care prescriptions cost the same at all pharmacies.
Fact: You often pay less on copays when you fill a Medicare Part D-covered prescription at a preferred pharmacy in your plan’s network. These savings can quickly add up.
Myth 2: Medicare Part D and Medicare Advantage plans can require you to fill prescriptions by mail.
Fact: Medicare prevents plans from requiring patients to use a mail-order pharmacy exclusively.
Myth 3: Once you pick a plan, you don’t need to review it each year.
Fact: Changes in the prescriptions you take, plan design and coverage may cause your existing plan to no longer be right for you. Your insurance provider sends a letter that describes any changes to your plan. It is important to review these changes as they could affect your total cost (see related story on Page 4).
Myth 4: It’s a good idea to pick a plan that a friend recommends.
Fact: While your friends may have good recommendations, their prescriptions and doctors are likely different from yours. Because copays for drugs are an important part of the overall Medicare costs, what works for your friend may not be the right choice for you.
Myth 5: Changing your plan means you must change your pharmacy.
Fact: Getting a new plan doesn’t always result in having to use a new pharmacy. When evaluating your plan options, always consider your preferred pharmacy as an important part of your evaluation (see related column on the importance of using a single pharmacy, on Page 6).
When you start to research coverage, make sure your pharmacy of choice is in your plan’s preferred network.
