How to Join a Medicare Prescription Drug Plan

Medicare is a government-run health-care plan for American citizens over the age of 65 (as of 2011). There are a four plans: Part A, Part B, Part C and Part D, each of which varies in its coverage of medical expenses. Medicare Part D covers prescription medications and is distributed by private companies that are approved by Medicare. But in order to get Part D, you first have to sign up for Part A or Part B. Speak with your physician or pharmacist to decide which plan is right for you.

Instructions

• 1

  Type "Medicare Plan Finder" into a search engine or click the link in the "Resources" section of this article. Type your zip code in the designated area. Follow the on-screen prompts and answer any questions to get your list of local private insurance companies who provide medicare plans.

• 2

  Call the insurance company or stop into its office to get a paper application. You can fill this out and submit it back to the insurance company, where it will then decide if it's going to approve you for Medicare Part D.

• 3

  Call 1-800-Medicare to speak with a Medicare representative directly. She may be able to help you join a plan over the phone. It may also be helpful to ask for the "Medicare & You" booklet so you can learn more information about joining Medicare Part D.

• 4

  Speak with your current insurance company if you have one, about joining up with Medicare. If it's a Medicare-approved company, it may be able to give you information and help guide you to joining Part D.