How to Find Out Which Part D Prescription Plan to Get

Part D is the Medicare prescription drug plan available to seniors age 65 and over, as well as others with Medicare benefits. Since the insurance companies offering the plans each have their own formulary, or list of drugs they cover, and their own pricing structure, it can be difficult to determine the best plan for you. The Medicare website has a useful tool that will take some of the work out of the decision.

Things You'll Need

• Medicare card

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Instructions

• 1

  Go to the Medicare's website (see "Resources"), where you will find the Medicare Plan Finder, listed under Health and Drug Plans. This is the tool that can help you figure out which drug plan will be best for you.

• 2

  Enter your zip code. Although the drug plans are national plans, the same list of plans is not offered in every state. Entering your zip code will ensure that the list of drugs you are working with is the list that will be available in your area. You can also enter your personal Medicare information for a more personalized search.

• 3

  Enter your drugs. If you are currently taking prescription medications, enter them into the drug plan finder. The tool will allow you to specify the exact dosage you take and the frequency with which you take each of your medications. This information enables the tool to determine which plan is the best for you.

• 4

  Choose a pharmacy. You can choose up to two pharmacies that you would like to use to get your drugs. This step isn't required, but it may be important because some pharmacies may not accept all plans. Also, some plans may offer lower prices if you get your prescriptions filled at certain pharmacies.

• 5

  Select the plan types you are interested in. You can review Medicare health plans with or without drugs, or you can review prescription drug plans only. If you are only interested in drug plans, remove the checks from the other boxes on this page.

• 6

  Review the results. The drug plan finder will provide you with a list of plans available to you, ranked from lowest to highest total annual drug cost, by default. There are a number of other ways in which you can sort the results, including lowest monthly premium, lowest deductible, plan rating and plan name.

• 7

  Choose a plan. The plan with the lowest total drug cost would be the most obvious choice, but there are other factors to consider, as well. Plans are given ratings by customers and you may want to make sure that the plan you are interested in is well-reviewed by current users. You many also want a lower monthly premium or no deductible, which may mean choosing a plan other than the one that has the lowest drug costs.