Medicare Counseling

This is Caitlin Morrison, counselor with Vermont’s state health insurance assistance program
I’ll be reviewing how to use medicare.gov’s plan finder to complete a drug plan comparison

Once you’ve navigated to medicare.gov you’ll find a few options
If you already have an account or want to create one you can select this option

On the next screen you’ll be able to log in
To create an account you will need your name as written on your Medicare card, your Medicare ID number, the effective dates, your date of birth and address
You will create a username password and secret question to secure your account
With the medicare.gov account you can save your prescription and Pharmacy information to review year after year

Now we’ll return to the home page and select the option to find plans now
This is how to complete a general plan comparison

Here you’ll be prompted again to log in if you have an account otherwise you will put your ZIP code on the right side
Next you will select what type of plan you’re looking for
Both Part D plans and many Advantage Plans offer drug coverage

Today we’ll look at Part D plans

You will then be asked if you receive any assistance with your drug costs if you’re logged into an account some of this information may pre-populate
Next you’ll select yes to see drug costs

Here you’ll add in the name of your prescription
If you add in a brand name medication and there’s a generic option available you will see this notification
It’s a good idea to look at your prescription packaging while doing this comparison to make sure you’re adding the right information

After adding the generic option you are prompted to enter the dosage of the medication, the quantity received, and how frequently this is refilled
After entering this information add to the drug list

You will repeat that process for each of your prescriptions
When finished select done adding drugs and move on to pharmacies

You can select up to five pharmacies including a mail order option to compare costs
The pharmacies you select will appear at the bottom of the page
Pharmacies are selected, you will be shown what drug plans are available in your area
You can switch between Part D and Advantage plans here
You can change how the plans are sorted
It automatically sorts the list by the lowest drug and Premium cost

You’ll be able to see the plan’s premiums, estimated costs for the year, and deductibles
Select the add-to-compare option to view up to three plans side by side

Here is a side-by-side comparison of the two lowest estimated cost plans with the
entered prescription you can see which pharmacies are preferred and network out of network

WellCare value script seems to have the lower cost so we’ll look into those plan details

On the plan detail page you will find the premium estimated drug costs deductible and plan contact information
You can see more about the drug coverage of this plan

The plan details page will break down the estimated yearly and monthly costs
This page will inform you of when your deductible will be met and if you’ll enter the coverage gap
You can also find out what tier the drug is on and if there are any restrictions to be aware of like prior authorization quantity limits or step therapy

Once you’re ready to enroll there are three options
You can enroll online at medicare.gov, you can call the plan directly, or you can call 1-800 Medicare for assistance enrolling

If you need assistance with your Medicare coverage you can contact the helpline to get connected with one of your local SHIP counselors