Medicare Part D - Be a Savvy Shopper, by Jo-Ann Rapaport

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Do you have original Medicare? You do if you have Medicare Part A and Part B. For drug coverage, Medicare Part D Open Enrollment season has arrived.  Without a doubt you’ll receive numerous emails from organizations with websites purporting to help you find the insurance that’s best for you.  Beware!!! They’re private insurance companies that want your business.

 There is one website that gives you an independent review. It’s the official Federal Government Medicare site that allows you to compare Part D drug plans identifying:

·      Plans that cover the specific drugs you take.

·      Your total cost in 2021: includes the plan premium, the annual deductible, the coverage and cost at your selected drug stores.

·      You can then select the best plan for you.

. Click here to get there.

You can create an account if you wish to save your prescription and pharmacy information; you can also access this website as a guest. Here are the steps to follow:

·      Identify the type of 2021 coverage you seek.  The choices include Medicare Advantage Plans, Medigap Plans and Drug Plans.  This article’s focus is on Part D (drug coverage) for people with Original Medicare.

·      Question:  Do you want to see drug costs as you compare plans. Say Yes!

·      Question: Where do you fill prescriptions:  retail pharmacy? mail order? or both?

·      Note every prescription drug you take or prescription product you use. Include the name, dosage, quantity and how often you buy the Rx.

·      Identify all the pharmacies you may use. Perhaps it’s Vivo Health Pharmacy at Phelps, Hudson Pharmacy and Surgical in Ossining, a mail order firm or some other source.

·      Next, the available Prescription Drug Plans are listed.  My search resulted in a choice of 28 Prescription Drug Plans.  For each plan, the monthly premium is given and added to the yearly cost for the drug for your retail pharmacies and for mail-order pharmacies.

·      Click on:  show details to learn the specific details – the coverage and cost for each prescription at each of the pharmacies you identified.

·      Review carefully. You will see a significant difference in coverage and annual costs.  You now have the knowledge to select the drug plan that works best for you. 

A Helpful Resource: Asli at Hudson Pharmacy in Ossining (914-941-4476) is willing and able to help you.  She tells me she has special software that can analyze your prescriptions and help identify the right Part D Plan for you. 

Photos by Martin Smolin of Color Woodcuts in the “Mapping Symmetries” Show at Rockefeller Preserve

An exhibit in the Art Gallery at the Rockefeller State Park Preserve running from September 20 to October 25, 2020. They were printed by Jeff White using plywood blocks that were carved by paired strangers during 17 hikes in the Rockefeller State Park Preserve. It was curated by Audrey Leeds.

Scroll down to see all nine of Martin’s photos.

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Photographs of life at Kendal on Hudson are by residents.