Part D
What is Medicare Part D?
Part D is Medicare's drug coverage, sold by private insurance companies under federal rules. How it works, what you pay, and why skipping it costs you.
Part D
How much does Medicare Part D cost per month?
Part D cost is made of four pieces. The monthly premium is only one of them, and usually the smallest if you take medication every month.
Part D
Do I need Part D if I do not take any medications?
Almost always yes. The late enrollment penalty counts every month you go without drug coverage, and once it starts you pay it for life.
Part D
What is the Part D late enrollment penalty?
A late fee added to your drug plan bill for each month you went without drug coverage that counts. Here is how it works and how to fight it.
Part D
Is my drug covered? How to check a Part D formulary
A formulary is your plan's list of covered drugs. Here is how to check yours the right way, and what to do when a drug is not on the list.
Part D
What is the Medicare donut hole?
The donut hole was a gap in the middle of the drug plan year. It is gone now, and a yearly limit on what you pay took its place.
Part D
What is the annual out of pocket cap on Medicare drug costs?
Medicare drug coverage now has a yearly limit on what you pay at the pharmacy. What counts toward it, what does not, and when it starts over.
Part D
When can I enroll in or change my Part D plan?
Every window for joining, switching or dropping drug coverage, and the two month deadline that catches people leaving an employer plan.
Part D
What is Extra Help and do I qualify?
Extra Help lowers what you pay for Medicare drug coverage. Social Security sets the limits each year and decides who qualifies.
Part D
How do I compare Medicare Part D plans?
A step by step way to compare Part D drug plans in about half an hour, sorting by what a full year costs instead of the monthly premium.
Part D
Does Medicare Advantage include Part D, or do I need a separate plan?
Most Medicare Advantage plans already include Part D drug coverage. If yours does, do not add a separate drug plan, because that can get you dropped from Advantage.
Part D
What drugs are not covered by Medicare Part D?
Some drugs are left out of Part D by federal law, and no plan covers them. Others are just missing from your plan's list, and those you can ask the plan to cover.
Part D
What are Part D drug tiers and copays?
A tier is a price group. Every Part D plan sorts its drugs into tiers, and the tier sets your copay. The same drug can sit on different tiers in different plans.
Part D
What is prior authorization and step therapy for my medication?
Prior authorization means the plan must approve a drug before it pays. Step therapy means trying a lower cost drug first. Both can be appealed and show in Plan Finder.
Part D
Can I switch Part D plans if my drug is dropped?
Usually not. A drug coming off your plan's list mid year does not let you switch plans. You get notice, often keep it through December, and can ask for an exception.
Part D
What is creditable drug coverage?
Creditable drug coverage is coverage at least as good as standard Part D. While you have it, no late penalty builds up if you wait to join Part D.
Part D
How do I sign up for Part D for the first time?
You need Part A or Part B first. Then pick a plan on the Medicare Plan Finder using your drug list, and enroll online, by phone with the plan, or through an agent.
Part D
What is the Part D deductible?
The Part D deductible is what you pay for prescriptions before your plan starts paying. Medicare sets a yearly maximum, and plans can charge less or none at all.
Part D
Do I pay a Part D penalty if I had VA or employer drug coverage?
Generally no. VA benefits and most employer drug plans count as creditable coverage, so no penalty builds while you have them. If one is applied anyway, you can fix it.
Part D
What happens to my Part D if I have Medicaid too?
With Medicare and Medicaid together, Part D pays for your drugs, you get Extra Help without applying, and you can change drug plans more often than once a year.