I am a panda phanatic... {link to an older panda post}

Song in my head: I write the histories that make the whole world sing.....The Editrocket

Alter-Abled News

The Government Accountability Office conducted a study with 10 of the largest Medicare Part D drug plan providers. They received correct and complete information only one third of the time. As a consumer this disgusts me. I have to be frugal and smart with my monthly disability money and being jerked around by insurance companies screws with my bread and butter money.

"Our calls to 10 of the largest (drug plan) sponsors' call centers show that Medicare beneficiaries face challenges in obtaining the information needed to make informed choices," concluded the Government Accountability Office. Yahoo News Link

Frank at Suddenly Senior makes these suggestions on affording medicine after you reach the donut hole or coverage gap in Medicare's Part D coverage. Suddenly Senior Link

1. Grin a bear it.

2. Start buying your drugs at Costco. Avoiding your insurance company's prices will almost surely save you money. And, according to AARP, as long as the drugs are covered by your plan's formulary and you buy in the US, your receipts count toward the limit.

3. Quit your Plan D insurance immediately upon reaching the donut hole. This allows you to put your premium money toward the purchase of needed medicine. Then buy that medicine abroad and watch your dollars stretch by up to 60 percent or more. For many, this makes the difference between staying on medications and not being able to afford them at all.

The downside to quitting...

* If you spend over $2,850 on drugs before year's end, Plan D won't kick in again, this time to pay 95 percent. Chances are, if you are just now getting to the donut hole, this won't happen. But it's a gamble.

* Unless Congress eliminates penalties for late joiners, if you want back in you must pay a 1 percent a month addition to your premium until you again join the program.

Say you're paying $35/mo. in premiums. If you stopped paying August 1st, you'd save $175 but have to pay an additional two bucks a month when you rejoin next January, possibly more if you returned to the same plan.