Medicare Drug Plan bait-and-switch Estimates

[KarenA358365]

Aetna’s SilverScript (Plan ID: S5601-178-0) SmartRx (PDP) has been systematically under-quoting the estimated cost of their plan to potential subscribers. I was quoted an annual retail cost for my personal medication list and premiums of $2, 444.61 on the Medicare site, and switched plans on the basis of this estimate. However, when I could finally access the Aetna site after my new plan took effect, I found that the estimate shot up to $9,457. On the Medicare site the estimate remained at $2,444.61.

This can not be an accident. Aetna provides accurate medication costs to millions of pharmacy quires every day.   I personally switched to this plan based on the cost estimate I received using my medication list on the Medicare.gov site. The yearly cost I was given for my list of 10 medications was $2,444.61 not the $9, 377. it actually was.

As this was the lowest quote on the Medicare site, I can only assume that millions of seniors made this choice and were locked into prices far in excess of these quotes. This appears to me to be a classic bait-and-switch case.  I was offered one price on the Medicare site  which I accepted on the Medicare site  by pressing the enroll button and was then later charged a different price.

This is not acceptable and there is no excuse for allowing this type of misrepresentation.