If you thought helping your mother choose her Medicare Part D benefits last year was a challenge, changes in service, coverage and rates are making the process an annual ritual.
“There?s still going to be a doughnut hole,” said Baltimore County Department of Aging chief Arnold Eppel. “There are lots of programs and plans that try to close that hole.”
To help seniors understand the process and help make smart decisions, the Department of Aging began holding informational sessions last month and will continue through the end of the year. They also explain online tools to find out what?s available locally and what fits each individual.
“Folks have absolutely got to go back to the comparison tool again for decision-making help,” Eppel said.
In addition to local service agencies and Internet tools, participants can call 1-800-MEDICARE for help, said Lorraine Ryan, federal Medicare spokeswoman.
By this time, beneficiaries should have their “notice of change” letter explaining next year?s premiums, co-payments and drug coverage information, she said. “What folks should be doing is reading those letters, reviewing their health plan and seeing if that plan still suits their needs.”
Locally, each jurisdiction?s Maryland Health Insurance Plan office will provide information about benefits and plans.
While the doughnut hole hasn?t gone away, Ryan said there are ways to help fill it. “There is extra help available to pay premiums and co-pays for people who meet certain criteria.”
Filling the ?doughnut hole?
Medicare Part D ? the federal prescription drug program for seniors unveiled last year ? stopped paying for any prescriptions within certain dollar totals.
Here?s the breakdown of how it works for 2008:
» $275 annual deductible before any prescriptions are covered
» $275 to $2,510 ? Medicare Part D covers 75 percent of all prescriptions. The beneficiary pays $558.75 ? or 25 percent
» $2,510 to $3,216.25 ? the doughnut hole, Medicare pays nothing
» $3216.25 and up ? the “catastrophic level” ? the beneficiary pays 5 percent for the rest of the year.
Source: Medicare
