Medicare-PartD.com Highlights Changes In 2009 Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Plans, USA

Main Category: Medicare / Medicaid / SCHIP
Article Date: 18 Nov 2008 - 1:00 PDT

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Medicare Part D prescription drug plan costs and coverage can change every year and 2009 is no exception. In 2009, Medicare beneficiaries can expect the possibility of higher monthly premiums, changes in the amount of initial deductibles, increases in the prescription drug co-payments, changes in prescription medication coverage and even possible re-assignment to another Medicare Part D plan. To help Medicare beneficiaries visualize plan changes, the Medicare-PartD.com website now has the newest version of their 2009 PDP-Compare tool online, updated to include changes in co-payments per drug tier.

PDP-Compare shows side-by-side changes in every stand-alone Medicare Part D prescription drug plan (PDP) across the United States and is available free to all site visitors. PDP-Compare shows users current and future monthly premiums, as well as changes in co-payments or co-insurance rates. Medicare Part D plans will also be shown in the output that did not exist in 2008 or are discontinued in 2009.

To see changes in 2008 Part D plans, Medicare-PartD.com users need only to select their state and click on "search" for a complete list of 2008 Part D plans along with 2009 plan changes. Users can leave the other search fields blank or enter a portion of a Part D plan name (for instance, users can enter "Well" to see a comparison of "WellCare" prescription drug plans in the chosen state) and click on the "Search" button. Users can also search for specific Medicare Part D plan features, such as Type of Gap Coverage, by selecting from drop-down boxes.

Understanding the annual changes in Part D plans is important because if a Medicare beneficiary does not choose a new Part D prescription drug plan, the beneficiary will be, in most cases, automatically re-enrolled in the same Part D plan for the next year.

"Although Medicare beneficiaries should have learned about Medicare drug plan changes through their Annual Notice of Change letters, we have found that many people are still not fully aware that their prescription drug coverage and plan costs are changing," notes Dr. Susan Johnson, technical director of the Medicare-PartD.com site. "We designed PDP-Compare especially for Medicare beneficiaries and Medicare support groups who are seeking a broad overview of how current 2008 Part D prescription drug plans change in 2009. Our PDP-Compare tool is the easiest way for people to quickly find Part D plan IDs, co-payment or cost sharing information, donut hole coverage, and plans qualifying for a state's $0 premium low-income subsidy."

As a reminder, this year's Medicare Part D annual enrollment period begins on Saturday, November 15 and continues for 6-weeks until December 31, 2008. Medicare beneficiaries cannot change Medicare Part D plans during 2009, except in special circumstances so beneficiaries are cautioned to take their time selecting a Part D plan and to seek assistance if they are unsure of the selection process.

The 2009 PDP-Compare tool can be found directly at PDP-Compare.com/2009 and joins the other online tools, resources, the monthly Medicare Part D Newsletter, and tutorials designed to help Medicare beneficiaries, advocates, advisors, and insurance agents navigate the Medicare prescription drug program.

About the website Medicare-PartD.com

Medicare-PartD.com is one of the nation's largest private Internet sources of Medicare Part D prescription drug information. The Medicare-PartD.com website is jointly operated by National Insurance Markets, Inc. (Pittsburgh, PA) and Q1Group, LLC (Saint Augustine, FL).

Medicare-PartD.com