MEDICARE ADVANTAGE PLANS through
Blue Cross/Blue Shield of MI
Here's how things worked in the "old days."
When you turned sixty-five, you
became eligible for Medicare A (free) and most people
opted for Medicare B (currently running $96.50 a
month).
Most
people also felt the need to purchase a
supplement that picked up the Part
A and B deductibles, the 20% coinsurance, and any excess
expenses. That required you to find a private
carrier who wrote such plans, and necessitated you
having to carry around a second ID card in your purse or
wallet, in addition to your Medicare
card.
Then
the government came out with their Medicare D program,
covering prescriptions. Most people had to go out
again, and select from dozens of different companies who
offered such a plan, and now you had THREE cards to keep
track of.
Incidentally, anyone ever wonder what happened to
Medicare C?! How did we go from Medicare A and B. . .to
D? Didn't, we skip something?!
Not
really. Medicare C is what the industry calls
"Medicare Advantage Plans." They are not a
supplement to Medicare. They literally are Medicare.
Blue
Cross / Blue Shield of Michigan has four such plans,
which they call their Medicare PLUS Blue plans. In
a nutshell, this is a program that takes Medicare A and
B, the needed supplemental coverages, AND Medicare D
prescription coverage. . . and wraps it all up under one
comprehensive program.
These four plans range in cost from $0 to $141 a
month, and they all include prescription drug
coverage. SEND ME YOUR EMAIL address, and I will
send you the complete brochure on these products, OR
JUST CALL. . .and we can arrange to meet to discuss it
privately.
Prescription Drug Assistance for
Seniors
Aside from the prescription drug coverage offered through Medicare D
(and available through ALL Medicare Advantage plans), there are a few prescription drug
assistance programs available that you might want to investigate.
I can't help you directly with obtaining most of these programs, but here are just a few that I am aware of:
IF YOU'RE A VETERAN: There's a very
nice program available for you. Call their toll-free
number (877) 222-8387 or go on-line at www.va.gov/elig.
There is a company called Patient Assistant Services
that works directly with over 100 pharmaceutical companies
and 2,000 prescription drugs. If you are a legal United States citizen,
have a family income less than or equal to $25,000, and are not qualified for private
or government drug coverage, you may qualify for this program.
I have applications in my office.
Call me at (269) 683-7400 or (888) 783-0498. They
require a one-time non-refundable $20 application fee,
but the potential savings are quite great. If for
example, you are taking ten or more prescriptions, a
full one year's supply through this program would only
cost $575!!!
There is also a program sponsored
by the Eli Lilly Company called the Lilly Answers
Program. You can get all the information by calling
their toll-free number (877) RXLILLY or going on-line to
www.lillyanswers.com.
Essentially, the requirements are similar to the ones
offered by Patient Assistance Services, except they will
provide you with the eligible drugs for a flat $12
co-pay. It's possible some drugs may be available
through one program and not the other, so check both of
them out.
Some other web-sites of
interest:
www.pfizer.com The Pfizer for
Living Card Program offers a 30 day supply of their
drugs for just $15.
www.TogetherRx.com Multiple
pharmaceutical companies participate in this web-site,
each with their own savings of approximately 20-40% off
the cost of prescriptions.
www.theunadvertisedbrand.com
Get all the facts on generic drugs on this web-site. Use
the generic drugs value calculator to see cost savings
using a brand name prescription vs. a generic. You can
take fruther action by writing your legislator or giving
a pledge card to your physician.
www.needymeds.com Learned about
this one through the public relations department at our
own Lakeland Hospital. This is pretty much a hodge-podge
of various programs that are available through different
pharmaceutical firms.
Lastly, we are aware of a program
through the State of Michigan that allows uninsured,
low-income residents to get prescription drugs at a
discount. For more information, call (866) 755-6479.
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