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Demystifying Medicare Part D enrollment

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Alexis Abramson, Ph.D, a gerontologist and leading advocate for health and wellness issues affecting baby boomers and seniors, offers five simple tips to guide you through the process during this year&rsquo;s registration window.

1. Sign up for Medicare Part D &ndash; no matter what.

Even if you currently don&rsquo;t take any prescription medications, you should still consider signing up for a Medicare Part D Plan. If you enroll late or when you are in need of drug coverage, you could pay much higher premiums. The only exceptions to this rule are seniors with equivalent or creditable drug coverage from an employer&rsquo;s health care plan, retiree health plan or from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.



3. Plans change annually so take your time to research.


4. Preferred pharmacies matter.

Once you&rsquo;ve found a plan that fits your budget and medication needs, don&rsquo;t forget about convenience when filling your prescriptions. A pharmacy accepted as &ldquo;preferred&rdquo; by a Medicare Part D Plan is a network pharmacy that offers covered drugs to plan members at lower out-of-pocket costs than what the member would pay at a non-preferred network pharmacy. For example, Walmart is a preferred pharmacy on multiple plans including the Humana-Walmart Preferred Rx Plan. People with high blood pressure or who are concerned about heart health also should know that Humana and Walmart just announced that members of the Humana Walmart-Preferred Rx Plan will have access to 10 hypertension drugs for a penny each when filled at one of the 4,400 Walmart or Sam&rsquo;s Club pharmacy locations.

5. Medicare plan finders are your friend.


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