Community Chat

[chessylady]

There is a ballot measure here in California that would tie the price of drugs for everyone to the price the VA negotiates for their clients. Big pharma is spending lots of money to defeat this measure.

[ALRATIBA]

I have just regular Medicare and a retirement benefit supplementary plan w/prescription coverage.  My former employer pays half the premium and I pay other half.

Supplement picks up where Medicare ends ... so my total annual pays rarely reach even $75.   My recent co-pay on a $400 doctor's visit was $9.01.

Only one prescription ... costs me less than $6 per month.

It would be great if hearing aids were covered by insurance.  They cost me a small fortune every few years as technology changes!  

[hyacinth003]

I've seen posters who get "free" meds.  Especially the super costly ones.

This is how they are able to give out FREE meds.  Others pay for them!

My husband is now on Medicare, and we paid way more in co-pays than for the insurance he had for 30 years. 

Hyacinth

[151949]

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@nagrom wrote:

I am on an advantage plan.   I have Tier  3 meds.  The Tier 1 and Tier 2 are not costly.  Tier 3 and above are horribly expensive.    

Who would ever think when you are eligible for Medicare that your prescriptions would run so high.    Now the government is talking about giving you a voucher instead of Medicare that you could bargain and purchase your own care.   No controls about price gouging for prescriptions.

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The government isn't talking about this -- one particular party is - protect yourself with your vote.Before you go to vote find out which  candidates will protect your medicare and SS and which one doesn't.

[Lucky Duck]

My husband was in the donut hole by the end of January this year.  It isn't just what we paid out-of-pocket that was counted to get us out of the donut hole.  Payments from other sources are also counted.  I'm not near my notes about this so I can't be real clear but it is covered in the literature and monthly prescription updates.  It was a struggle to get out of the donut hole but once we did, it was easier.  I spoke to a representative from the insurance company who explained it to me.  He also said there are changes coming to Medicare prescription coverage but not until 2020.  That is a long time to struggle thru this. 

Medicare premiums are more than 3 times what I was paying thru my employee coverage and then we get slapped in the face with the donut hole.  Oh yeah...no increase in SS benefits again.

[Lucky Duck]

Oh, one more thing.  The customer service agent thru the insurance company advised that we get 3 months of refills before 12/31/16 in order to delay the donut hole in 2017.  The donut hole is inevitable for my husband. 

[151949]

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@hyacinth003 wrote:

I've seen posters who get "free" meds.  Especially the super costly ones.

This is how they are able to give out FREE meds.  Others pay for them!

My husband is now on Medicare, and we paid way more in co-pays than for the insurance he had for 30 years. 

Hyacinth

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I have a friend who lives on $14,000 a year, so when she gets to the donut hole she does get assistance from the state of Florida to pay for her meds. Personally, I would rather pay for my meds myself than have to live on only $1200 a month.It sickens me when people complain about others getting any kind of assistance without knowing the actual FACTS of that persons situation.

[SharkE]

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@Lucky Duck wrote:

My husband was in the donut hole by the end of January this year.  It isn't just what we paid out-of-pocket that was counted to get us out of the donut hole.  Payments from other sources are also counted.  I'm not near my notes about this so I can't be real clear but it is covered in the literature and monthly prescription updates.  It was a struggle to get out of the donut hole but once we did, it was easier.  I spoke to a representative from the insurance company who explained it to me.  He also said there are changes coming to Medicare prescription coverage but not until 2020.  That is a long time to struggle thru this. 

Medicare premiums are more than 3 times what I was paying thru my employee coverage and then we get slapped in the face with the donut hole.  Oh yeah...no increase in SS benefits again.

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HUH? Medicare part B premiums are only 120. I'm tickled to death.

You must had been paying 40 a month ?

[Moonchilde]

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@151949 wrote:

I am fortunate to take only 3 Rx drugs and they are all tier 1. By the end of the year I will have only paid about $72 in copays.This is one reason we are better off on an advantage plan than a supplement. 

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Different for everyone, I imagine. I have a supplement and will only pay out about $325 in co-pays for the year for 5 tier 1s and one tier 2.