Medicare Prescription Drug Program Basics and Resources

The Medicare Program, enacted in 1965, has been a major source of medical insurance for seniors. It provided a measure of comfort by assuring that people who had spent years contributing to society would now be able to get the medical attention that they were entitled to. Unfortunately, it did not cover the cost of prescriptions.

Many seniors are on a fixed income, and if they have chronic health problems requiring regular medications, bearing the cost of these life saving but expensive drugs has been difficult to say the least. After much pressure was put on the government to recognize this problem, a prescription program, Part D of Medicare, was made a part of the insurance.

The parameters of this insurance are extremely confusing, not only to seniors but also to the relatives who care for them. Trying to figure out terms like "creditable coverage", "coverage gaps" and three different levels of coinsurance is difficult. There are also annual deductibles and monthly premiums as well as penalties for late enrollment to try to understand. There are websites and organizations where people can go to get help in understanding how this program works.

You can go directly to the Medicare site at, http://www.medicare.gov/medicarereform/drugbenefit.asp

They offer a tool called the Medicare Prescription Drug Plan finder that will assist you in determining the program that will save you the most money, depending on your medications and options on coverage plans.

Benefits Checkup
http://ssl4.benefitscheckup.org/before_you_start.cfm?cfid=504050&cftoken=81900289&partner_id=12&subset_id=39

This site is part of the Department of Health and Human Services and is a service of The National Council on Aging. They offer additional information on both public and private insurance programs, including the Medicare prescription plan.

AARP
http://www.aarp.org/health/medicare/drug_coverage/medicarepdf6.html

This organization has long been an advocate for seniors and offers valuable information about the prescription plan as well as other information to better their lives.

The State Health Insurance Assistance Program
http://www.shiptalk.org/Public/home.aspx?ReturnUrl=%2fDefault.aspx

This organization offers free counseling to Medicare subscribers and their families. To the left of the webpage, you will find a link to input the state that you live in. This will give you the address and phone number of your local office, as well as contact names.

Access to Benefits Coalition
http://www.accesstobenefits.org/Helpful%20Resources/Tools%20You%20Can%20Use/default.aspx

This is a non profit organization that helps low income seniors to understand and apply for benefits such as Extra Help, a part of the Medicare prescription program that offers a subsidy to help with out of pocket costs. They also offer other tools and a reference section where you can find more helpful information.

Hopefully, the government will revise these guidelines to make them easier for everyone to understand. But until then, visiting the above sites may help you navigate the benefits that you or your loved one are entitled to.