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SilverScript Medicare Prescription RX Plans

Meidcare now offers clients new options for SilverScript  Medicare Prescription RX plans in 2016.

SilverScript will provide two prescription plan options in 2016: SilverScript Choice as well as SilverScript Plus.  The SilverScript Choice offers comprehensive coverage with low premiums and co-pays.  SilverScript Plus provides additional coverage in the coverage gap (commonly referred to as the donut hole). The Plus plan is designed for people who need to take several medications on a regular basis.  Because these people are more likely to reach the donut hole during the 2016 plan year.

Both SilverScript prescription medication plans offered in 2016 will feature a $0-deductible, low co-pays for many drugs and competitive premiums. In fact, SilverScript premiums in 30 states are lower than they were in 2015.  In fact, premiums in eight of those states is below $20.  Also,  SilverScript Choice plans have the lowest prescription drug plan premium in four states.  Members can access a convenient nationwide network consisting of a wide selection of pharmacies across the country. These include many large national and regional chains, many independent, community-based pharmacies, and the CVS/Caremark mail service pharmacy.  Additionally, in 2016, SilverScript is introducing a new list of covered medications.  This will help to keep co-pays low for some frequently prescribed drugs.

SilverScript recently received a 4-star performance rating from CMS for delivering value, clinical outcomes and customer service.

CLICK HERE TO REQUEST MEDICARE QUOTE INFORMATION.

Most Medicare Prescription Drug Plans have a coverage gap (also called the “donut hole”). This means there’s a temporary limit on what the drug plan will cover for drugs.

   Click here to learn more about the Medicare donut hole.

Please contact us if you would like to learning more about the SilverScript or any other Medicare RX plan. You can either call the office at 203-796-5403 or email us at admin@croweandassociates.com for an appointment.

Medicare Part D Premiums

Medicare Part D premiums range from between $10 and $100 per month.  The amount depends on what plans  are available in your area as well as  the particular plan you choose. The maximum deductible in 2016 is $360. This is the amount you must pay out-of-pocket before Medicare will contribute to your prescription costs.

What is the Medicare Part D Penalty

If you have gone without Part D or other credible drug coverage for a period of 63 days or more after your initial enrollment period. You may owe a Medicare Part D Penalty.  What is the Medicare Part D Penalty –

With Medicare as with all insurance plans it is wise to know all the ins and outs before you start.  If you find a knowledgeable insurance agent to help you sort things out, you will be ahead of the game.  Here at Crowe and Associates our job is to help clients understand insurance.  We want you to feel confident that you have chosen the right policy for both your health needs and your budget.  That is why it is important that you are aware of any possible penalties that can cost you money.

The dollar amount of the penalty

Medicare will officially calculate your penalty based on the number of full months you went without coverage.   The penalty is 1% of the national base beneficiary premium multiplied by the number of uncovered months and then rounded to the nearest $0.10.  That amount will be added to your monthly part D premium.  (Note: Since the national benchmark premium may increase each year, the penalty amount will also change accordingly.

Click Here for a Part D Late Enrollent Penalty Reconsideration Request Form

You should mail both completed forms as well as supporting documentation to the address below:

MAXIMUS Federal Services
3750 Monroe Avenue, Suite 704
Pittsford, NY 14534-1302

Or faxed to:
Fax number: (585) 869-3320 or  toll free fax number: (866) 589-5241

Do you have questions or need assistance navigating the Part D late enrollment penalty reconsideration process?  Please contact the office at either 203-796-5403 or at admin@CroweAndAssociates.com if you have questions or require additional information about insurance.

We always get a lot of questions on Medicare Part D.  Here are some commons questions that we hear and additonal information on part D.  If you have other questions, please email Ed Crowe at Edward@Croweandassociates.com

1.  Popular Summer Medicare Part D Coverage Questions

2.  More on your Medicare Part D Coverage and the 2012 Donut Hole

3.  Average Retail Drug Prices

1.  Popular Summer Medicare Part D Coverage Questions

Question:  As we travel around this summer, will we still have Medicare Part D prescription coverage outside of our home state? Read more

We always get a lot of questions on Medicare Part D.  Here are some commons questions that we hear and additonal information on part D.  If you have other questions, please email Ed Crowe at Edward@Croweandassociates.com

1.  Popular Summer Medicare Part D Coverage Questions

2.  More on your Medicare Part D Coverage and the 2012 Donut Hole

3.  Average Retail Drug Prices

1.  Popular Summer Medicare Part D Coverage Questions

 Question:  As we travel around this summer, will we still have Medicare Part D prescription coverage outside of our home state?

Yes.  You can use your Medicare Part D prescription drug plan at any of your plan’s network pharmacies, and most Part D plans include more than 50,000 pharmacies in their network.  If you are in a remote area of the country and are having trouble finding a network pharmacy, you can always telephone your Medicare Part D plan’s Member Services department and ask them to help you find the nearest pharmacy (the toll-free number is on the back of your Member ID card). 

Question:  If I purchase prescription drugs while outside of the United States, and bring them back with me, will my Medicare Part D plan reimburse me for these drugs if they are on my Part D plan’s formulary?

 Probably Not.  Although you can always ask your plan for more information, the Medicare Part D program does not anticipate coverage for medications purchased outside of the United States. 

Question:  We just moved from North Carolina to Florida and our Medicare Part D plan was cancelled because of our relocation.  Can we enroll back into our same plan now (in July) or do we have to wait until November/December?

 You can enroll now into a new Medicare plan.  Most people are not allowed to change Medicare Part D prescription drug plans outside of the annual Open Enrollment Period (or Annual Election Period) that runs from October 15 through December 7 of each year.  However, a Special Enrollment Period is available for people who move to a new Medicare plan service area during the plan year and allows people to join a new Medicare prescription drug plan or Medicare Advantage outside of the annual Open Enrollment Period.   

 Question:  I will turn 65 in September and will be eligible for Medicare.  When is the best time to join a Medicare prescription plan?

 It depends on when you need your Medicare prescription plan coverage to begin.  Initially, you have a seven (7) month window of time to join a Medicare Part D or Medicare Advantage plan.  So if you enroll in a Medicare Part D plan within the three (3) months before the month that you become eligible for Medicare (for example, the 3 months before you turn 65), your Medicare plan coverage will start on the first day of your birthday month (or Medicare eligibility month).  If you join a Medicare plan during your birthday (or eligibility) month, your prescription drug coverage will start on the first day of the next month.  Finally, if you join a Medicare plan during the three (3) months after your birthday (or eligibility) month, your drug coverage will start the first day of the month following the month when you enroll.

 Did you have a question that needs answered?  No problem, you can email Ed Crowe at Edward@Croweandassociates.com for answers.

2.  More on your Medicare Part D Coverage and the 2012 Donut Hole

 Question:  How do I find out how much more money I need to spend before I exit this year’s Donut Hole?

 The easiest way may be to check your monthly Explanation of Benefits letter.  Your Medicare Part D plan regularly sends you an Explanation of Benefits (EOB) statement detailing your Medicare plan coverage.  You will notice that the letter is separated into sections and in Section 2, you will find information on your current stage of coverage.  You will also see a box in Section 2 of your EOB letter that is entitled, “What happens next?”  In this box, your Medicare plan shows the details of how much more you will need to spend before moving into the next stage of your plan’s coverage. 

 So if you are in the Initial Coverage stage, the “What happens next” area will tell you exactly how far away you are from your Coverage Gap (or Donut Hole).  If you are in the Donut Hole, you will see how much more money you will need to spend before entering the Catastrophic Coverage portion of your Medicare Part D plan.   

Question:  I have already reached my Medicare drug plan’s initial coverage limit of $2,930 and entered the 2012 Donut Hole, so do I now pay the difference between the $4,700 out-of-pocket limit and my plan’s $2,930 initial coverage limit before exiting the Donut Hole?

 Not exactly.  You will stay in the 2012 Donut Hole until your total out-of-pocket costs exceeds the $4,700 threshold – less any name-brand drug discounts you receive while in the Donut Hole.  As a note, there are two different numbers that are used to define your Medicare drug plan’s Donut Hole or Coverage Gap: (1) The total negotiated retail value of your medications:  When the total value of the retail cost of your drug purchases exceeds $2,930, you go into the 2012 Donut Hole. (2) Total Out-of-Pocket Spending:  After your actual spending for covered medications has reached $4,700, you exit the Donut Hole.  (Remember, the brand-name discount counts toward meeting this total out-of-pocket spending amount).

 For example, if you are in your Medicare Part D plan’s Initial Coverage Phase, purchase a medication with a $100 retail cost, and only pay a $30 co-payment out of your own pocket (the plan pays the other $70), you get $30 credit toward the $4,700 Donut Hole exit point and $100 toward your $2,930 Initial Coverage Limit.

Now when you are in the Donut Hole and you buy the same $100 medication, and your plan does not have any Donut Hole coverage, you are responsible for the full $100 drug cost.  However, this year, you will get a 50% discount on all brand-name drugs bought in the Donut Hole, or a 14% discount on generic drugs purchased in the Donut Hole.

 If your $100 medication was a name-brand, then you will pay only $50 – but, you will get the full credit for the $100 purchase toward meeting your $4,700 out-of-pocket threshold or Donut Hole exit point.

 On the other hand, if the $100 medication was a generic drug, you would pay $86 dollars and get credit only for the actual $86 you spent toward meeting the $4,700 Donut Hole exit point or out-of-pocket threshold.

Question:  Will the Medicare Part D plan’s Coverage Gap or Donut Hole really ever go away?

 Yes, but only to the extent that you will still pay 25% in the Donut Hole.  As many people know, the Medicare Part D Donut Hole is scheduled to “close” in 2020.  But medications will not be free when the Donut Hole is finally “closed”.  In 2020, the co-insurance or cost-sharing for both generic and brand-name drugs purchased in the Donut Hole will be no more 25% of the plan’s negotiated retail price.  So, if your 2020 Medicare Part D plan follows the CMS standard Medicare Part D parameters with 25% co-insurance paid during the Initial Coverage Phase, you will pay no more in the Donut Hole than you would pay during normal coverage and the Donut Hole will be effectively eliminated.

 On the other hand, if your 2020 Medicare Part D plan has a $0 (or low) co-payment for your medications during the Initial Coverage phase, and then you find that you are paying 25% of your medication retail prices in the Donut Hole, it may not seem as though the Donut Hole is “closed,” although it technically is.  

3.  Average Retail Drug Prices

 Question:  What does the “negotiated” retail drug price mean and why is it important?

 The negotiated retail drug price is the amount that you would pay for your medication at a particular pharmacy when you have a Medicare Part D prescription drug plan.  The negotiated retail price for a certain medication may be different from the pharmacy’s regular price, and it can be different from pharmacy to pharmacy and from Medicare Part D plan to plan.

For example, if you purchase a formulary medication like Lipitor®, you may see on your receipt a negotiated retail price slightly more or slightly less than someone who is enrolled in another Medicare plan.  And, if you were to go to a different pharmacy using your same Medicare plan, the negotiated retail price could also be slightly different.

 The negotiated retail price is important to you because your total annual negotiated retail drug costs are used to determine the point when you enter into your plan’s Donut Hole phase.  So based on the differences in negotiated retail price between plans, you may meet someone using the same medications, but entering the Donut Hole a short-time before or after you.  Also, if you are in the Donut Hole, you will receive a discount on the negotiated retail price of your formulary medications.  So, based on the negotiated retail prices, people in different Medicare plans will pay different discounted prices in the Donut Hole.

I am often asked about Medicare Part B drugs and how they are different from Medicare Part D drugs.  The answer is fairly straight forward.  A Medicare Part B drug is any drug that is administered to the patient by injection or IV at the doctors office or some other Medical facility.

When this is the case, the drug falls under the Medicare Part B benefit.  It is not a part D drug and will not fall under your Rx benefits.  In other words, it is treated like a medical benefit instead of a drug benefit.

There is one exception to this.  If the patient/member picks up the drug at the pharmacy and then has it administered to them by the doctor or at the facility, it may still fall under the Medicare part D drug benefit.  The difference is that the patien actually purchased it at the pharmacy vs. it being supplied by the doctor of facility.

Part B drugs are covered at 80% by most Medicare Advantage plans, leaving the member to pay 20% of the cost which can be increadibly expensive.  Aetna Medicare Advantage plans are an exception to this rule as they only charge a $50 copay for Part B drugs vs. 20% of the cost.

The other good way to cover part B drugs is to have a Supplement in place.  A plan F  or C will cover the Part B drug at 100%.

If you have specific questions or need any information, please email Edward Crowe at Edward@Croweandassociates.com or ca

Walmart will be offering Medicare Part D Prescription drug plans for 2011. While there has not been much detail provided about the plan design, it is suggested that the plan will have a $0 copay for generic drugs and very low cost monthly premiums

Walmart will utilize small kiosks in the store staffed by representatives licensed to sell the Medicare Part D Rx plans. There are not yet many details on the plan formulary but it will be offered through Humana. Members will only be able to use the new drug card at Walmart pharmacies. The plan will be available on November 15th which is the start of the Medicare Annual Election Period which is when Medicare Eligible members may sign up for a Part D Rx plan.