topic Re: Help! Medicare prescription coverage in Community Chat

Help! Medicare prescription coverage

Scooty — Mon, 18 Oct 2021 14:05:43 GMT

I have prescription coverage from my previous employer that I use but I am being charged from Medicare for prescription coverage. I have called Medicare and just had a live chat to disenroll from the Medicare prescription plan. The agent wanted to cancel my employer's coverage, then cancel all my Medicare coverage. Another told me on the phone that I can disenroll from Medicare if I want and I should contact Medicare, isn't that what I was doing??? Please help me understand- I am so confused. I don't need both plans. Right? I don't pay for my employer's coverage so I want to keep that.

Re: Help! Medicare prescription coverage

On It — Mon, 18 Oct 2021 14:12:58 GMT

@Scooty When in doubt don't! All of that advice sounded confusing to me. Hopefully some other posters will have the answers you need.

Re: Help! Medicare prescription coverage

millieshops — Mon, 18 Oct 2021 14:14:54 GMT

@Scooty any chance your employer's business office can help you. Are they paying for original Medicare? I had to start paying separately for Part D when my former employer moved us out of the original plan.

Re: Help! Medicare prescription coverage

CelticCrafter — Mon, 18 Oct 2021 14:36:54 GMT

This makes no sense.

What type of Medicare do you have?

If you have Traditional Medicare, Parts A & B you would have had to sign up yourself for Part D. It's not an automatic.

Re: Help! Medicare prescription coverage

Scooty — Mon, 18 Oct 2021 14:46:08 GMT

Maybe I can make this clearer. My previous employer provides prescription drug coverage at no cost to me. Medicare is charging me for prescription drug coverage. Can I cancel the Medicare coverage? It won't effect my employer coverage, right? I'm sorry but I find all medical plans so confusing.

Re: Help! Medicare prescription coverage

Nuttmeg — Mon, 18 Oct 2021 15:13:09 GMT

@Scooty wrote:
Maybe I can make this clearer. My previous employer provides prescription drug coverage at no cost to me. Medicare is charging me for prescription drug coverage. Can I cancel the Medicare coverage? It won't effect my employer coverage, right? I'm sorry but I find all medical plans so confusing.

@Scooty

I have my Medicare coverage including part D paid for by my pension. If I touch anything, I will lose everything.

Please contact your current carrier and ask for a written statement of what to do.

I get a written statement each year concerning the Medicare part D plan.

Re: Help! Medicare prescription coverage

deepwaterdotter — Mon, 18 Oct 2021 15:15:41 GMT

Have you registered at the medicare.com site in order to see your account? You will be able to see all your coverage and where any monies you are being charged are going.

Re: Help! Medicare prescription coverage

Zaimee — Mon, 18 Oct 2021 15:51:56 GMT

@Scooty

Do not cancel anything.

call the SHIP counselors for your state. They provide FREE personalized health insurance counseling NOT attached to any company.

The phone number is on the back of your Medicare &You 2022 book.

Or, go to www.shiphelp.org scroll down to find listing of states, and your state phone numbers.

If you are in Florida, it is the SHINE program.

From what I read in the Medicare book, pg. 88 , you can have coverage from previous employer.It says

"If you have coverage, your employer will notify you each year to let you know if your drug coverage is creditable.Keepthe information you get. Call your benefits administrator for more information before making any changes."

Re: Help! Medicare prescription coverage

Zaimee — Mon, 18 Oct 2021 15:57:14 GMT

@Scooty The Part D Drug coverage is an add on to Medicare. You choose it. But, if you have an Advantage plan it may be part of that and maybe that plan has a charge. If you have a supplemental plan, you choose and pay.

Re: Help! Medicare prescription coverage

Carmie — Mon, 18 Oct 2021 16:08:19 GMT

If you have TRADITIONAL MEDICARE which includes Part A and Part B along with Part D ( RX drugs coverge) you should be able to drop the Part D coverage

If you have a Medicare Advantage Plan, you are not able to drop the RX coverge. It is sold as a package and you have to keep everything. The RX coverage cannot be seperated.

It sounds like you might have Medicare Advantage.

Re: Help! Medicare prescription coverage

Zaimee — Mon, 18 Oct 2021 16:28:27 GMT

@Carmie @Glad you chimed in.

Just trying to help others as you had helped me when I was trying to navigate this convoluted process.You are the expert!

Re: Help! Medicare prescription coverage

meem120 — Mon, 18 Oct 2021 16:36:56 GMT

Medicare only provides Parts A and B, hospital and doctor coverage They donot cover any prescriptions. You must sign up for your own RX coverage. This is called Part D. You have to sign up yourself Medicare for Part D. I think you are confused. DONOT tell them you want to disenroll from Medicare. You may find yourselg with NO insurance coverage at all. Please go to your HR dept at your work or even a insurance broker for clarififcation on what coverage you have. You need to know for your own peace of mind to know this

What you are paying to medicare every month is for Part A and B not D.

No Rx coverage is included in that.

Re: Help! Medicare prescription coverage

Scooty — Mon, 18 Oct 2021 16:50:50 GMT

Thanks everyone for your help. I read each of your responses and then called my friend who I used to work with. She took 15 minutes to explain to me what I was confused about. And finally I understand. Everything is as it should be and I'm leaving my coverage as it is. I feel like such a dummy. I so appreciate your help. Thanks again.

Re: Help! Medicare prescription coverage

Zaimee — Mon, 18 Oct 2021 17:05:22 GMT

@Scooty @Do not feel like a dummy. This Medicare book is over 100 pages. It is overwhelming with things you need to know and a new language to learn. ...Plan A-Z, Part B and D, Medicare, Medigap, Advantage, Supplement. TV Commercial galore. As an English speaking teacher with several degrees, I was stressed out, too.

Glad you figured it out ...until next year.

Re: Help! Medicare prescription coverage

ssfbeagle — Mon, 18 Oct 2021 17:47:40 GMT

I am new to Medicare also. You Tube has some excellent videos that explain the process. Maybe you should contact an insurance broker who specializes in Medicare. That helped me also. I do not want an Advantage plan, so I went with traditional Medicare with a supplement and Part D, The Medigap plan is Plan G.

Re: Help! Medicare prescription coverage

Kachina624 — Mon, 18 Oct 2021 19:49:07 GMT

@Scooty wrote:
Thanks everyone for your help. I read each of your responses and then called my friend who I used to work with. She took 15 minutes to explain to me what I was confused about. And finally I understand. Everything is as it should be and I'm leaving my coverage as it is. I feel like such a dummy. I so appreciate your help. Thanks again.

@Scooty Don't feel bad as you had a legitimate concern. Carmie knows her stuff and I felt certain you had a package deal, as do I, which couldn't be separated, just as she described.

Re: Help! Medicare prescription coverage

Duckncover — Mon, 18 Oct 2021 20:50:01 GMT

Maybe your employer is paying part D for you, in which case are getting Medicare prescription coverage and shouldn't need to enroll in it again.

Re: Help! Medicare prescription coverage

jezzie — Tue, 19 Oct 2021 17:03:22 GMT

There are 3 types of Medicare Plans, Traditional with supplementary, PPO and HMO .

With the PPO plan premium is around $50.00 / month including a Prescription plan.

The Traditiional you pick a Prescription plan we pay $72.00 / month with a deductible of around $400.00 in January. Be careful not taking a Prescription Plan when you get Medicare my Aunt was penalized when she decided to take a Prescription plan later

after getting Medicare she said was not told needed to purchase one at the time of

getting Medicare did not ask her what she pays. Hope this helps or food for thought.

Re: Help! Medicare prescription coverage

Duckncover — Wed, 20 Oct 2021 23:00:27 GMT

Medicare is run by the gov't, so it is needlessly convoluted and confusing on some things. Just like Social Security and the IRS. Plain language isn't what they do....I am glad you got your questions answered.