# Does anyone not have the part D supplement?



## Ruth n Jersey

I foolishly did not add medicare part D to my AARP insurance when I was eligible. I am 70, and so far, have not needed any meds. The couple I needed, such as antibiotics now and then have been reasonably priced. My husband can get the few he takes from the VA but just gets them from Walmart because they are reasonable also. I knew there was a penalty, but thought it was a one time deal. Didn't realize it was monthly and gets higher as time goes by.. Does anyone else not have it and now feel a bit uneasy about it? I know of several people who have it and still have huge drug bills because of the doughnut hole or the plan they chose no longer covers the drug they need. Your thoughts would be appreciated,although there isn't much I can do about it now. The key to all this is research all the options, sadly I did not.


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## jujube

I have it, but so far most of my medications end up being cheaper getting them WITHOUT insurance than with.  For instance, with insurance, my generics are $8 a month.  I can get all but one of them at Walmart for $10 for THREE months.  I'm afraid to go without it, though, because what if I get a condition that requires really, really expensive medicine?  You know, the type that requires medications that cost $3000 a month and with insurance I'd only pay, say, $65?


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## Ruth n Jersey

That's exactly what I should have thought of,jujube. You are a smart lady. I can only hope I don't get in that position.


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## Linda

My husband has to pay a $3.10 penalty each month because he didn't get Part D to begin with.


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## Butterfly

So Ruth, how much is the penalty you're facing?  It might just be worth it to fork it over.  If you get into expensive meds, Part D can save you a whole heck of a lot, even with the Medicare donut hole.


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## Ruth n Jersey

Butterfly said:


> So Ruth, how much is the penalty you're facing?  It might just be worth it to fork it over.  If you get into expensive meds, Part D can save you a whole heck of a lot, even with the Medicare donut hole.



My penalty would be almost $20.00 more a month. Total just for part D would be about $52.00 a month. I am really thinking about it just for peace of mind.


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## Butterfly

Ruth n Jersey said:


> My penalty would be almost $20.00 more a month. Total just for part D would be about $52.00 a month. I am really thinking about it just for peace of mind.



Yeah -- some drugs can get pretty expensive.  My part D comes with my Advantage plan -- I wouldn't want to be without it.  Do you have a supplement or advantage plan, or just traditional Medicare?


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## Ruth n Jersey

Yes, Butterfly, My husband and I have AARP supplement. For the two of us $317.00 a month. Hate to give that up. We have used it several times and they paid everything. No hassle.


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## Don M.

Part D is like any other insurance....it's a waste of money UNTIL you need it.  Going without is a gamble, and eventually lack of insurance catches up with most people.  It would probably be a good idea to start shopping Before you have an illness that might require some of these grossly overpriced drugs.


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## Ken N Tx

Don M. said:


> Part D is like any other insurance....it's a waste of money UNTIL you need it.  Going without is a gamble, and eventually lack of insurance catches up with most people.  It would probably be a good idea to start shopping Before you have an illness that might require some of these grossly overpriced drugs.



Nobody tells you this, you *MUST* sign up for part D at 65 or pay a penalty later!!


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## Scooter848001

I am taking about 5 medications for a heart condition. My Medicare card that I received last month said I have Medicare A & B and the person at SSA said I'd be getting a bill for part B but I haven't received. Any suggestions?


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## Butterfly

Scooter848001 said:


> I am taking about 5 medications for a heart condition. My Medicare card that I received last month said I have Medicare A & B and the person at SSA said I'd be getting a bill for part B but I haven't received. Any suggestions?



Call 'em (Medicare) up and ask 'em.  You have to be proactive and advocate for yourself or you might end up in a big fat mess.  AND, don't take anybody but Medicare's word for what is and what isn't -- anybody can tell you anything, but Medicare is the one that decides, and it's their decision that will impact you.  Medicare and Social Security are pretty easy to deal with over the phone at the 800 number.

As to the Medicare premium, before I actually took Social Security, I got a bill and had to pay it every month.  After I started getting Social Security benefits (retirement), they just took it out of  my benefit amount.


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## Ken N Tx

Scooter848001 said:


> I am taking about 5 medications for a heart condition. My Medicare card that I received last month said I have Medicare A & B and the person at SSA said I'd be getting a bill for part B but I haven't received. Any suggestions?



Nobody tells you this, you *MUST* sign up for part D at 65 or pay a penalty later!!


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## OneEyedDiva

There's nothing like peace of mind fellow Jerseyan. Do what will allow you to feel secure and sleep better at night. Insurance is definitely an "in case" thing. My husband has medicare but still opts to get his medication from Walmart.


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## dpwspringer

I originally did not take our a Part D but later added it with the monthly penalty for not having it originally. I don't take much in the way of medications so didn't figure I needed Part D but I changed my mind after getting a couple prescriptions filled. What I ran in to was that somewhere along the way the pharmacies started charging folks that didn't have some kind of insurance about 3 to 5 times more. So some little prescription that I had gotten a few years earlier without insurance for $20 or so was now over a $100. Someone on this forum recently mentioned GoodRX as an alternative and if I had known about that I might have tried just getting by with that and not getting the Part D. But since I have Part D I will probably just keep it. What is interesting is that my Part D insurance company sends a lot of paper work showing what I've used, what it cost, what the retail cost would have been, etc and it seems to me that there is a lot of "double pricing" going on. I see signs of that in some of the medical bills I get concerning Medicare B covered items as well. It's like there are two prices, one for folks with some type of insurance cover and then another price that is outrageously jacked up by multiple orders for folks that don't.





Don M. said:


> Part D is like any other insurance....it's a waste of money UNTIL you need it.  Going without is a gamble, and eventually lack of insurance catches up with most people.  It would probably be a good idea to start shopping Before you have an illness that might require some of these grossly overpriced drugs.


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## Bullie76

Not eligible yet but plan to sign up for it when the time comes. Will probably go for the cheapest plan available just to have something. Like many here, the only drug I take cost little to nothing due to generic status.......but all heck might break loose later on. That's why you get it.


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## AprilSun

It came with my Advantage Plan also although I don't need it for my medications now. I take two prescriptions that cost $8 each a month. But, I would rather be "safe than sorry" because later on I might need it.


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## QuickSilver

That's why hubby and I have part D plans.  Right now, both of us will not meet the deductible with what we take..  However, there is no guarantee that we won't be put on more medications and will need the plan.  However, as of now.. we pay the premiums AND we pay for our own medication... Kinda sucks.


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## Jackie22

My mother did not sign up for plan D and has regretted it many times.


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## NancyNGA

Ken N Tx said:


> Nobody tells you this, you *MUST* sign up for part D at 65 or pay a penalty later!!


There are exceptions, Ken.   

Creditable drug coverage from Medicare website: 


You will get a letter every year from your provider saying that you have creditable coverage, if that's what you have.   If you later switch to part D there is no penalty.


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## nvtribefan

NancyNGA said:


> There are exceptions, Ken.
> 
> Creditable drug coverage from Medicare website:
> View attachment 34250
> 
> You will get a letter every year from your provider saying that you have creditable coverage, if that's what you have.   If you later switch to part D there is no penalty.



Correct.  MY husband has been covered for 12 years under my employer plan.  He will have parts B and D (and plan G) beginning next year with no penalty.


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## Ken N Tx

NancyNGA said:


> There are exceptions, Ken.
> 
> Creditable drug coverage from Medicare website:
> View attachment 34250
> 
> You will get a letter every year from your provider saying that you have creditable coverage, if that's what you have.   If you later switch to part D there is no penalty.



...I forgot that exception..


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## Grumpy Ol' Man

Our firm sent me a letter stating our prescription coverage was NOT creditable... but I didn't read it!  Found it our 1 year too late and will always pay a penalty.  My error.  I understand why the penalty.  If one did not take Part D until you needed it, the insurance companies would lose money big time.  That would be like waiting till you had a heart attack or cancer before buying health insurance.  The thing that is aggravating is the creditable/non-creditable.  I had/have excellent prescription coverage with our firm's health plan.  Yet, because of this creditable/non-creditable definition, I will be penalized.


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## GreenSky

nvtribefan said:


> Correct.  MY husband has been covered for 12 years under my employer plan.  He will have parts B and D (and plan G) beginning next year with no penalty.



You might look at Plan N.  Generally it's the best value.  (At least it has been for about 75% of my clients).

Rick


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## nvtribefan

GreenSky said:


> You might look at Plan N.  Generally it's the best value.  (At least it has been for about 75% of my clients).
> 
> Rick



With expected high expenses, not worth the risk of excess part B charges.


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## GreenSky

nvtribefan said:


> With expected high expenses, not worth the risk of excess part B charges.



96% of all physicians accept assignment meaning the risk of excess charges are very minimal.  I have yet to have a client with a Plan N tell me they had to pay an excess charge.  And I have hundreds of clients with Plan N.

Expected high expenses have nothing to do with any "risk".  Many agents sell Plan F (and now G) because it takes too long to explain why excess charges are not an issue.  Once you really understand the issue then it's easier to make a decision.  And I have no problem with Plan G.  I only have a question about how much information someone has when they fear excess charges.

Briefly, here's why excess charges don't come into play.

If a doctor wants to charge more than the allowable (excess charge) they he/she must still do all the billing.  Neither Medicare nor the supplement will pay the provider (since they are not accepting assignment of your claim) but will only pay the patient.  The doctor then gets to hire an additional person to send out a bill and make sure the patient pays.  For a net of 9.25% (yes, it's not 15% to the doctor) it's not worth the trouble.  When a typical office visit is about $100 it's not worth it to try to collect an extra $9.25.

If there is an "expected high expense" how many doctors want to call the grieving widow and ask for payment after her spouse dies on the table?  If the allowable for a surgery is $5,000, the doctor can pocket an extra $412.50 IF and I really do me if, they can actually collect it.

Hope that clarifies the issue but if not, please contact me.  I love to discuss insurance.

Rick


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## Butterfly

What is Plan N?  I never heard of it.


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## GreenSky

Butterfly said:


> What is Plan N?  I never heard of it.



Sorry, we got off topic.

Plan  N is one of the 10 standardized Medicare supplement (Medigap) plans available in most states.  Generally it is is the best value of the plans.

Rick


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## Butterfly

How is it different from the Advantage plan or any other other Medigap policies?


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## GreenSky

Butterfly said:


> How is it different from the Advantage plan or any other other Medigap policies?



I'll start a new thread with that kind of information.

Rick


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## nvtribefan

I wasn't confused.  But thanks for your condescension.


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## GreenSky

nvtribefan said:


> I wasn't confused.  But thanks for your condescension.



Not sure where I suggested you were confused but if that was the impression then I apologize.

Rick


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## Don M.

GreenSky said:


> You might look at Plan N.  Generally it's the best value.  (At least it has been for about 75% of my clients).Rick



I looked at the various Medigap Plan N options offered by my old companies retiree supplementals, managed by Towers Watson.  These Plan N options vary in price from $187 to $217 per month, per person, and Don't include prescription drug coverage.  These plans are offered by Humana, Anthem and Cigna.  We opted for a Medicare Advantage plan with Humana which Does cover prescriptions, with a small co-pay, and costs us $76 each, per month.


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## GreenSky

Don M. said:


> I looked at the various Medigap Plan N options offered by my old companies retiree supplementals, managed by Towers Watson.  These Plan N options vary in price from $187 to $217 per month, per person, and Don't include prescription drug coverage.  These plans are offered by Humana, Anthem and Cigna.  We opted for a Medicare Advantage plan with Humana which Does cover prescriptions, with a small co-pay, and costs us $76 each, per month.



I took a quick look at a 70 year old in St. Louis for Plan N.  Depending on gender the cost is between $130-150 monthly.  The plans through your retirement are obviously much more expensive.

Medicare Advantage can be a great choice especially when you look at premium and benefits.  The drawback is the restrictions on who you can see for care and at what cost.

Like all insurance it's a balance between cost and benefits.  I like to see all the options and then (as you have) make an educated decision.

Rick


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## Linda W.

I didn't need it. My secondary coverage is very good and covers my meds.


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## dramaqueen

My husband still works and has insurance so I am on that plus pay for Medicare.  It is complicated and I probably shouldn't have done it


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## Lara

Can you just wait till you get an illness that has expensive drugs and then pay the penalty each month? I'm 99% sure the answer is no, using common sense, but thought I'd ask. I don't have Part D...nor do I have supplemental (partB?). I'm 66, soon to be 67 (I know, my avatar is 4 yrs old. I need to update it) 

Are you all saying that once you have Part D and paying a penalty, that the penalty goes up every month OR are you saying your basic Medicare goes up?


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## Butterfly

Lara said:


> Can you just wait till you get an illness that has expensive drugs and then pay the penalty each month? I'm 99% sure the answer is no, using common sense, but thought I'd ask. I don't have Part D...nor do I have supplemental (partB?). I'm 66, soon to be 67 (I know, my avatar is 4 yrs old. I need to update it)
> 
> Are you all saying that once you have Part D and paying a penalty, that the penalty goes up every month OR are you saying your basic Medicare goes up?



I wouldn't be without a supplement of some kind (or an advantage plan, which I have).  With the high cost of medical care nowdays, a serious health incident could really throw your retirement savings for a loop.  It just isn't something I'd be willing to risk.

Not sure how the part D works, except to know that there's a penalty.  You could go to the Medicare website to get the true scoop.


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## dpwspringer

Lara said:


> Can you just wait till you get an illness that has expensive drugs and then pay the penalty each month? I'm 99% sure the answer is no, using common sense, but thought I'd ask. I don't have Part D...nor do I have supplemental (partB?). I'm 66, soon to be 67 (I know, my avatar is 4 yrs old. I need to update it)
> 
> Are you all saying that once you have Part D and paying a penalty, that the penalty goes up every month OR are you saying your basic Medicare goes up?


I've got a couple of years on you and I didn't start out with Part D because I don't like to take prescription drugs and didn't figure it would be worth it. I was surprised when I needed a couple of prescriptions filled, one for some eye medicine I had never had before and one for BPH that I tried years ago and wasn't all impressed with but thought I would give another try as my symptoms had gotten worse. The eye medicine was over $100 and the BPH medicine that I had gotten a few years earlier at about $20 without insurance was over $100 as well. When I wanted a refill on the BPH medicine I checked with another pharmacy and it was $60 something dollars. What I think is happening is the drug stores are increasing the price by 3x to 5x as much for customers who don't have insurance or some type of discount plan. (I didn't know about GoodRX then and might not have gotten Part D the next year if it had of kept the price within reason.) After that experience I got Part D and I pay a $3+ dollar a month penalty forever, I guess, because I didn't get it when I turned 65. I believe the amount of the lifetime penalty increases the longer you delay getting Part D. It is kind of a rigged system such that it is pretty hard to beat it because somewhere along the way you will need some script filled but GoodRX (or some other free(?) discounting service) might even that playing field.


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## Butterfly

dpwspringer said:


> I've got a couple of years on you and I didn't start out with Part D because I don't like to take prescription drugs and didn't figure it would be worth it. I was surprised when I needed a couple of prescriptions filled, one for some eye medicine I had never had before and one for BPH that I tried years ago and wasn't all impressed with but thought I would give another try as my symptoms had gotten worse. The eye medicine was over $100 and the BPH medicine that I had gotten a few years earlier at about $20 without insurance was over $100 as well. When I wanted a refill on the BPH medicine I checked with another pharmacy and it was $60 something dollars. What I think is happening is the drug stores are increasing the price by 3x to 5x as much for customers who don't have insurance or some type of discount plan. (I didn't know about GoodRX then and might not have gotten Part D the next year if it had of kept the price within reason.) After that experience I got Part D and I pay a $3+ dollar a month penalty forever, I guess, because I didn't get it when I turned 65. I believe the amount of the lifetime penalty increases the longer you delay getting Part D. It is kind of a rigged system such that it is pretty hard to beat it because somewhere along the way you will need some script filled but GoodRX (or some other free(?) discounting service) might even that playing field.



I think those deals might even the playing field now if you're not needing much medication, but what happens in the future if you need some super expensive medication?  I don't want to take the chance of having to decide between filling my rx and eating, and the older we get the better the chance of needing one or more of those super-priced meds.

To me it's kinda like the whole medical insurance thing -- back when I as 25, I didn't worry much if I was without insurance for a while.  Now, it would scare me to death.  You just don't know from one day to the next.


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## Lara

Thank you Butterfly and dpwspringer...you were helpful and I went to the medicare website too. They said there's a 10% penalty which I think would be a lot more than $3. Then they said by the end of March (because my birthday is in April) that it would be another 10%. They add on another 10% for every 2 full years you don't have it. Now, I can't remember if that was for Supplemental or Prescriptions..I have neither. I do have medicare. I'll have to go back and review it again.

It's a hard decision for me because I have healthy genes and I have found the simple and natural secret, for me anyway, to cure the few aches and pains that were coming on and for the secret to longevity. So right now I feel I could go on into my nineties never needing prescription drugs...except, like you say, butterfly, some health issue of uncontrollable proportions like cancer. And that's the caveat..do I really want to fight for a longer life when I'm, say, 80's or 90's by taking prescription drugs? Or do I? I know I'm going to a better place and my girls will be fine without me (although they tell me they wouldn't. They're my secret admiration society lol). Like you dpwspringer, I despise the idea of putting drugs into my body. 

I'll probably get it because I can afford it, but not because I think I'll ever use it. I must decide before March 31st. This is a hard one.


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## Butterfly

Lara said:


> Thank you Butterfly and dpwspringer...you were helpful and I went to the medicare website too. They said there's a 10% penalty which I think would be a lot more than $3. Then they said by the end of March (because my birthday is in April) that it would be another 10%. They add on another 10% for every 2 full years you don't have it. Now, I can't remember if that was for Supplemental or Prescriptions..I have neither. I do have medicare. I'll have to go back and review it again.
> 
> It's a hard decision for me because I have healthy genes and I have found the simple and natural secret, for me anyway, to cure the few aches and pains that were coming on and for the secret to longevity. So right now I feel I could go on into my nineties never needing prescription drugs...except, like you say, butterfly, some health issue of uncontrollable proportions like cancer. And that's the caveat..do I really want to fight for a longer life when I'm, say, 80's or 90's by taking prescription drugs? Or do I? I know I'm going to a better place and my girls will be fine without me (although they tell me they wouldn't. They're my secret admiration society lol). Like you dpwspringer, I despise the idea of putting drugs into my body.
> 
> I'll probably get it because I can afford it, but not because I think I'll ever use it. I must decide before March 31st. This is a hard one.



I simply would not take the risk.  My niece, for instance, a very healthy and active 38-year-old, with long-lived parents, NEVER sick, out of the blue received a diagnosis of colon cancer.  She died at barely 40.  You just don't know, and if we think it can't happen to us, we are fooling ourselves.  It can.


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## MJC-56

Here is a good argument for why you should get Part D even if you are not on any prescriptions.  The risk is huge!  https://youtu.be/qTkpqsUegms


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