Medicare Part D: Making Sure Your New Drug Plan Pays
Seniors who want to switch Medicare drug plans for 2007 must sign up by December 31. If you haven't done so already, now's the time to review your current plan and make sure it will still cover the drugs you need at a price you can afford next year. Check out plans in your area at www.medicare.gov.
Consumers who waited until mid-December to switch may not receive their new enrollment cards until January. If the card hasn't arrived and you need to fill a prescription, plan to bring your old drug plan ID card and the enrollment confirmation letter from the new plan with you to the pharmacy. If you haven't yet received your confirmation letter, try calling the plan or checking online to get your enrollment confirmation number, says Jeff Nelligan, spokesman for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. That will help the pharmacist find you in the system. It's a good idea to have your Medicare or Medicaid card and a photo ID along as well.
If, despite your best efforts, your pharmacy still can't confirm your new plan information, you may have to pay out of pocket for your drugs. So save your receipts, as your plan will reimburse you. Don't have enough cash to cover the cost? Don't worry. Your pharmacy can bill your old drug plan for the cost, and the two plans will reconcile the difference. "No one will be denied," says Nelligan.
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