Window is now open for Medicare D changes

If you’re 65 or older, chances are you’ll have to do a different kind of shopping around before you can get to your holiday shopping. The window for changing your Medicare Part D plan is now open; seniors have until Dec. 31 to choose a new prescription drug package.

Not everyone has to find a new plan, of course. Satisfied customers can stick with the plans they have.

But plans do change each year and area advisors to the elderly warn that it makes sense to be sure your premiums haven’t increased dramatically. They also suggest that seniors check to make sure drug formularies haven’t changed; anyone who has new prescriptions might also have to change plans, to find one that covers their new medications.

Each year, seniors have a window of time when they can change plans. This year, that window opened on Nov.15, and remains open until Dec. 31.

Help is available to anyone eligible for the program. Financial need is not a requirement. One resource is the Western Connecticut Area Agency on Aging, a nonprofit agency in Waterbury that receives state and federal funds to provide aid to the elderly. The agency offers a program called CHOICES (an acronym for Connecticut’s programs for Health insurance assistance, Outreach, Information and referral, Counseling and Eligibility Screening). Dawn Macary is the regional coordinator for CHOICES and she recommends that seniors “Prepare, compare and decide which plan will be best†— especially seniors who are “private pay†and don’t receive any government assistance to pay for their health insurance.

“What was good last year might not be good this year,†she cautioned. “There are 48 plans available in the state. This year, the least expensive plan is $10.80 per month and the most expensive plan is $100.â€

The agency is available to help seniors navigate the choices, which can be confusing and even overwhelming. The most important considerations for most seniors are cost, and whether the drugs offered in a plan match the person’s list of medications. Macary and her staff work with seniors, get their medication list and then run them through the Medicare drug finder.

“We then give you a printout that shows you the three least expensive plans that offer your medications,†Macary said. “When you get that printout back, you need to look at the restrictions. There are quantity limits, prior authorization requirements and a step therapy requirement, which requires that you try another drug before you can take the drug you want. If your printout has those three choices and the restriction boxes all say ‘no,’ that’s probably a good plan. But if you see a lot of boxes marked ‘yes,’ it might not be a good plan.â€

The agency can’t tell clients which plan to choose; but if a client isn’t satisfied with the three choices on the printout, he or she can come back to the agency and ask for additional advice.

It’s essential, Macary warned, to double check the information that comes back on a printout.

“Sometimes we can’t read the handwriting,†she said. “Sometimes a dose will be wrong. That can throw the whole thing off.â€

Macary advises seniors not to have their premiums deducted from their Social Security payments. “When they do it that way, it can take three or four months after they’ve changed plans for the paperwork to go through. You’re better off sending a check or having the premium deducted from your bank account.â€

And she also advises married couples not to sign up, automatically, for the same plan.

“What works for a husband might not work for a wife,†she said.

Once a plan is selected, seniors can call their town’s social worker and ask for help changing plans. In Salisbury, for example, Mike Beck is available to anyone over 65 from Monday to Thursday, 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Each town’s social worker is listed in the telephone book’s blue pages; some social workers can also be located online at a town’s Web site.

To contact the Western Connecticut Area Agency on Aging, go online to wcaaa.org or call 203-757-5449.

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