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Ms. Edwards is enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan that includes prescription drug plan (PDP)
coverage. She is traveling and wishes to fill two of the prescriptions that she has lost. How would you
advise her? - Answers She may fill prescriptions for covered drugs at non-network pharmacies, but likely
at a higher cost than paid at an in-network pharmacy.
Mr. Hutchinson has drug coverage through his former employer's retiree plan. He is concerned about
the Part D premium penalty if he does not enroll in a Medicare prescription drug plan, but does not
want to purchase extra coverage that he will not need. What should you tell him? - Answers If the drug
coverage he has is not expected to pay, on average, at least as much as Medicare's standard Part D
coverage expects to pay, then he will need to enroll in Medicare Part D during his initial eligibility period
to avoid the late enrollment penalty.
What types of tools can Medicare Part D prescription drug plans use that affect the way their enrollees
can access medications? - Answers Part D plans do not have to cover all medications. As a result, their
formularies, or lists of covered drugs, will vary from plan to plan. In addition, they can use cost
containment techniques such as tiered co-payments and prior authorization
Mr. Schultz was still working when he first qualified for Medicare. At that time, he had employer group
coverage that was creditable. During his initial Part D eligibility period, he decided not to enroll because
he was satisfied with his drug coverage. It is now a year later and Mr. Schultz has lost his employer
group coverage within the last two weeks. How would you advise him? - Answers Mr. Schultz should
enroll in a Part D plan before he has a 63-day break in coverage in order to avoid a premium penalty.
Mrs. Berkowitz wants to enroll in a Medicare Advantage plan that does not include drug coverage and
also enroll in a stand-alone Medicare prescription drug plan. Under what circumstances can she do this?
- Answers If the Medicare Advantage plan is a Private Fee-for-Service (PFFS) plan that does not offer
drug coverage or a Medical Savings Account plan, Mrs. Berkowitz can do this.
Which of the following individuals is most likely to be eligible to enroll in a Part D Plan? - Answers Jose, a
grandfather who was granted asylum and has worked in the United States for many years.
Mr. Zachow has a condition for which three drugs are available. He has tried two but had an allergic
reaction to them. Only the third drug works for him and it is not on his Part D plan's formulary. What
could you tell him to do? - Answers Mr. Zachow has a right to request a formulary exception to obtain
coverage for his Part D drug. He or his physician could obtain the standardized request form on the
plan's website, fill it out, and submit it to his plan.
Mr. Carlini has heard that Medicare prescription drug plans are only offered through private companies
under a program known as Medicare Advantage (MA), not by the government. He likes Original
Medicare and does not want to sign up for an MA product, but he also wants prescription drug
coverage. What should you tell him? - Answers Mr. Carlini can stay with Original Medicare and also