topic Re: Part D (Rx) cost increase for 2020 = HUGE for me in Wellness

Part D (Rx) cost increase for 2020 = HUGE for me

Havarti — Sun, 06 Oct 2019 15:38:04 GMT

I am on medicare and have a medical supplemental plan with one company plus my Part D prescription plan is the Humana Walmart plan because it was the lowest option available in my area for Rx. It was about $20/mo in 2018, $25.60/mo in 2019 and I just received notice that it will be $52.80/mo in 2020 (they are changing the word Walmart to Premier - PDP). That is more than 100% increase in one year! No explanation for more than doubling the price and no noticeable increase in benefits.

Part D is required by law and yet my only prescription on Good Rx (without insurance) is $10 for 90 days. So, if this is still the lowest plan for 2020 (I don't know yet because rates are just starting to be released) I would have to pay $600/yr to the insurance company plus the cost of the medicine verses using Good Rx and just paying $40/year for the medicine to the pharmacy for a 1 year supply. Now that the government requires participation in a Rx plan - they can charge anything and we are required by law to buy one of them. This is so wrong!

I know a plan takes people at low levels of usage to help balance out high levels of usages so rates can be more affordable for all. But a 25% increase in 2019 followed by more than 100% increase in 2020 is outrageous, unaffordable and a scary peek into the future. Have any of you experienced increases like this?

Re: Part D (Rx) cost increase for 2020 = HUGE for me

CelticCrafter — Sun, 06 Oct 2019 15:42:06 GMT

@Havarti Check to see if WellCare is available in your state. They were the least expensive for us, almost 1/3 the price less of whatever company AARP was hawking for 2019.

Re: Part D (Rx) cost increase for 2020 = HUGE for me

I am still oxox — Sun, 06 Oct 2019 15:47:44 GMT

That cost is in additional to the cost of the drugs, wow this crazy.

Reading this makes me so glad we will be able to keep the insurance we have as our secondary plan. Dh will be retiring in April and he works for the Federal Gov't our plan for the both of us is about 400 per month, including our drug plan.

Reading this confirms that we do not want to go out on the open market of another plan

Re: Part D (Rx) cost increase for 2020 = HUGE for me

geezerette — Sun, 06 Oct 2019 15:48:04 GMT

When did Part D become mandatory?

Re: Part D (Rx) cost increase for 2020 = HUGE for me

Havarti — Sun, 06 Oct 2019 15:49:23 GMT

@CelticCrafter

Thank you so much! I have never heard of them but just looked them up and they ARE in my area and their posted part D rate for 2020 is $20.70/mo. You just saved me soooooo much money and worry. Thank you for taking time to repsond and for solving my problem so quickly. Your help is greatly appreciated!

Re: Part D (Rx) cost increase for 2020 = HUGE for me

deeva — Sun, 06 Oct 2019 15:50:11 GMT

When did Medicare part D become required by law? Is that something in your state? Because it isn’t required in my state.

Re: Part D (Rx) cost increase for 2020 = HUGE for me

mom2four0418 — Sun, 06 Oct 2019 15:51:08 GMT

@geezerette wrote:
When did Part D become mandatory

It's not

Re: Part D (Rx) cost increase for 2020 = HUGE for me

millieshops — Sun, 06 Oct 2019 16:00:52 GMT

It's mandatory for me in that the company I use for part B requires I maintain a Part D. Meds used to be included in that policy, but I think I had the cost added more than 10 years ago.

Haven't seen next year's premium yet.

Re: Part D (Rx) cost increase for 2020 = HUGE for me

Helen852 — Sun, 06 Oct 2019 16:02:36 GMT

Part D may not be mandatory, however, if you do not have a prescription drug coverage plan and sign up for it later you have to pay a fine based on the amount of time you did not have the coverage. My mother didn't sign up for Part D at age 65, she didn't take any drugs at the time and when she was prescribed something she shopped it around or never filled it.

Forward to age 85 for Mom, now has to take several medications. Thank goodness for GoodRx. We looked into what the monthly penalty would have been for the 30 years and it would have been an addition $70/month in addition to her medicare part a and the medicare supplemental plan she chose. Because she didn't get the presciptions filled for her cholesteral, she has had several strokes; and she had glaucoma 20 years ago and never got the eye drops so now her eyesight has failed as well. We get all the scripts she needs now but with a Part D there would be no out of pocket.

Don't think of now, think of what you might encounter in the future.

Re: Part D (Rx) cost increase for 2020 = HUGE for me

Kachina624 — Sun, 06 Oct 2019 16:19:27 GMT

@Havarti. Perhaps you should be writing letters to your congressional representatives rather than posting here. We can't do a thing about it; they can.

Re: Part D (Rx) cost increase for 2020 = HUGE for me

deeva — Sun, 06 Oct 2019 16:27:11 GMT

@Helen852

That's the only reason I signed up. I didn’t want to get penalized later in life.

Re: Part D (Rx) cost increase for 2020 = HUGE for me

geezerette — Sun, 06 Oct 2019 17:16:07 GMT

@deeva wrote:
@Helen852

That's the only reason I signed up. I didn’t want to get penalized later in life.

@deeva

Me too.

Re: Part D (Rx) cost increase for 2020 = HUGE for me

chrystaltree — Sun, 06 Oct 2019 16:41:43 GMT

@geezerette wrote:
@deeva wrote:
@Helen852

That's the only reason I signed up. I didn’t want to get penalized later in life.
@deeva

Me too. I

I don't see it that way. You have take out a calculator and do the math before you decide. Using my friend as an example. She did not take Part D. At 65 she was strong healthy and taking no medications orther than an OTC low dose asprin and Citrical and a multivitamin. She had no health issues. It's like she'll remain healthy for the next 10 or 15 years. If her health declines in 10 years and she needs a prescription medications and enrolls for Part D. Yes, she'll pay the penalty but it won't hundrdes of dollars. The penalty certainly will not come to more than the 10 years of Part D premiums she paid for absolutely nothing.

Re: Part D (Rx) cost increase for 2020 = HUGE for me

CelticCrafter — Sun, 06 Oct 2019 17:24:18 GMT

@deeva wrote:
@Helen852

That's the only reason I signed up. I didn’t want to get penalized later in life.

Me too. The penalty is a percentage times how many months you went without the Part D coverage and you're penalized for the rest of your life.

Re: Part D (Rx) cost increase for 2020 = HUGE for me

geezerette — Sun, 06 Oct 2019 17:39:58 GMT

@chrystaltree wrote:
@geezerette wrote:
@deeva wrote:
@Helen852

That's the only reason I signed up. I didn’t want to get penalized later in life.
@deeva

Me too. I

I don't see it that way. You have take out a calculator and do the math before you decide. Using my friend as an example. She did not take Part D. At 65 she was strong healthy and taking no medications orther than an OTC low dose asprin and Citrical and a multivitamin. She had no health issues. It's like she'll remain healthy for the next 10 or 15 years. If her health declines in 10 years and she needs a prescription medications and enrolls for Part D. Yes, she'll pay the penalty but it won't hundrdes of dollars. The penalty certainly will not come to more than the 10 years of Part D premiums she paid for absolutely nothing.

@chrystaltree

That is possible. And it's something that everyone needs to calculate for their own situation.

And it's also assuming that all the costs, rules and regulations that are in place today will remain the same by the time someone may need the insurance.

Re: Part D (Rx) cost increase for 2020 = HUGE for me

GingerPeach — Sun, 06 Oct 2019 17:45:09 GMT

I have the same plan, @Havarti , and the rise was shocking. Apparently, they pay more for the actual drug.

I'm now looking at the medicare.gov site to find a new, less costly plan. (But I just noticed these may not be totally accurate since they still show the Humana plan with the "Walmart" name at the low premium we used to have.)

Re: Part D (Rx) cost increase for 2020 = HUGE for me

Emma Bunting — Sun, 06 Oct 2019 18:58:11 GMT

@Kachina624 wrote:
@Havarti. Perhaps you should be writing letters to your congressional representatives rather than posting here. We can't do a thing about it; they can.

There's only one thing our reps care about....and it aint us.

Re: Part D (Rx) cost increase for 2020 = HUGE for me

hckynut — Sun, 06 Oct 2019 19:40:17 GMT

@Havarti

Medicare Parts A and B are required by law. Medicare Part D is optional. At least that is the way it reads to me. I have a supplemental Prescription Plan and I see no deductions from my SS, nor a bill from Medicare.

If that is wrong would someone please tell me where I can find that Part D is Mandatory?

hckynut

Re: Part D (Rx) cost increase for 2020 = HUGE for me

hckynut — Sun, 06 Oct 2019 19:47:36 GMT

@geezerette wrote:
When did Part D become mandatory?

From what I have read and experienced, it hasn't. Got my Medicare 2020 booklet, might check it out there and see if the 2003 law has changed.

hckynut

Re: Part D (Rx) cost increase for 2020 = HUGE for me

Carmie — Sun, 06 Oct 2019 20:34:47 GMT

Medicare Part D is not mandatory, but it is mandatory for you to enroll when you are first eligible or you will be subject to a lifetime penalty if you enroll later. Anytime you go more than 63 days without creditable RX coverage, you are subject to this penality.

This is how the penalty works.

The penalty is 1% for every month you didn't have RX coverage or RX creditable coverage. If you go 14 months without coverage your penality will be 14%. If you go three years without coverage, your penalty is 36%.

Medicare determines the amount of the Average monthly premium for Medicare drug plans in the whole USA in the previous year. Then adds that amount to the RX monthly premium for the late enrollment penality

The penality can change each year, because the monthly premium changes each year. That means if the National average goes up, so will the penality.

it is not prudent to go without RX coverage. If you don't use RX drugs, it is better just to pick up the least most expensive plan you can find.