[Reblog] Rising Medicare Part D Drug Premiums & How to Compare Plans

From the 10 October 2013 article at As Our Parents Age

 

Check out this interactive plan finder.

Take a few minutes to read As Medicare Drug Premiums Soar It’s Time to Shop Around, another informative article about prescription drug plan open season.

[Flahiff’s note…
If you do not have ready access to a computer or find computers challenging, try these resources for assistance in comparing plans

• Local Area Office on Aging (may have a slightly different name in your area)
  As a volunteer at our area office, this is our top priority during open enrollment…which ends December 7th
• Local United Way for referral to agencies in your area (211 for most localities)
• Local public library for referral to agencies in your area (ask for a  reference librarian)]

This October 2, 2012 Reuters article by Mark Miller goes into considerable detail about the rising premiums and explains what steps Medicare beneficiaries can take to shop around.

Best Quote from the Article: Premiums for many popular Medicare prescription drug plans will soar next year – but seniors don’t have to take the rate hikes lying down.

It goes hand-in-hand with the other article I reviewed in my September 30, 2012 blog post, Medicare Prescription Drug Plan: 2013 Info.

Medicare beneficiaries and their adult children can use these two articles, together with the Plan Finder at Medicare.gov. At the top right on  the page is a button that takes visitors to an online demonstration of the Plan Finder.

Related articles

• Evaluating Medicare plans (miamiherald.com)
• Q&A: Medicare open enrollment too often overlooked (mcclatchydc.com)
• Report: Premium hikes for top Medicare drug plans (cnsnews.com)
• By the Numbers: Medicare Costs for Seniors to Rise Under President’s Plan (heritage.org)
• Report: Premium hikes for top Medicare drug plans (kansascity.com)
• Time for a Medicare switcheroo? (bankrate.com)
• Do you know Medicare Plans and what is best for you? (getlifebenefits.wordpress.com)
• Medicare Part D and Medicare Advantage Changes for 2013 (extendhealth.wordpress.com)
• Medicare Part C, Medicare Part C Coverage, Medicare Part C Enrollment and resources to help consumers understand… (getlifebenefits.wordpress.com)
• So What Does Medicare Cover? (kcet.org)