Open registration ended December 7, last Saturday, and if you don’t qualify for a special registration period, you cannot register in Part D until next October. This week I received appeals from Medicare beneficiaries who are stunned, no, cruel. I screamed, hung up and cursed.
Honestly, it doesn't bother me, but I wanted to write a blog to help people understand their options if they missed the registration of Part D. Below are a few ideas on how to ease the pain of paying for your recipes from your pocket. Enjoy!
coupons
Find the keywords "Prescription Coupons" in your search engine and hundreds of pop-up pages offering coupons for every possible drug. You can also explore your specific drug by typing " The name of the medicine. Coupons' search engine.
Another approach is to contact the company that sells your drug, and ask if they have any coupons that they can send you. Most companies have coupons or good deals on their websites. It may seem too simple, but sometimes these are the simplest solutions that work.
Prescription Help Programs
There are many such programs, some of which are specific to the state. These programs are not insurance, but they help in the cost of prescription drugs.
You must apply and be eligible for assistance. As soon as you enter, you usually receive a discount membership card, which you can use to get discounts at pharmacies.
One difficult thing about these programs is that you cannot qualify for part D after you sign up for the assistance program. These programs are really designed for those who desperately need someone who cannot afford prescription drugs or benefit from Part D deductions or premiums. There are also older specific programs, as well as programs in which only people younger than 65 years old, so it is important that you check before you apply.
One program I found after ten minutes of research is RXassist.
Pharmacy programs
Large grocery stores such as HEB and Walmart offer pharmacy discount programs (I live in Central Texas, so we have HEB), but I’m sure that there are competitive grocery stores in other states. By registering with these programs, you can get some (not all) prescription drugs that you use at very low prices. There are small down payments that you must pay to enroll in these programs, but you can get prescription drugs at extremely discounted prices ($ 5 for a 30-day HEB vacation). Walmart also has a competitive program with some medications listed for $ 4.
As you can see, there are options. Of course, my first advice would be not yell at your agent or hang up before they can help you. You may not even understand your situation. There is a chance that you can qualify for a special registration period. Qualifying circumstances are usually things like leaving the service area, unintentionally removing from your Medicare Advantage plan, or other unforeseen circumstances that cannot be controlled.
Although I wish I could magically swing a wand and correct the situation, this is what it is. There are several analogues: do not fill out a voter registration card in time for an election, apply for a scholarship or grant after the deadline, or later submit a working draft. There are reasons for deadlines, and it makes no sense to blame yourself, your agent or the government. Mistakes happen, but fortunately, the aforementioned resources for Medicare beneficiaries can be drawn upon when they forget to enroll in Part D.
To be clear, I am not a Part D agent. So, if you want more information about Part D, contact an agent authorized to sell Part D.
