The Medicare Doughnut Hole

[paulj227901]

  Is AARP doing anything to address the doughnut hole in Medicare, and how to eliminate it completely?

 I just spent almost $500 for insulin to keep me alive.  I am on Social Security and Medicare and I do not   know in I will be able to afford this life saving medicine when I need to refill it.

[GailL1]

@paulj227901 

Who is your Medicare Part D Prescription Drug plan insurer?  I hope you have one - cause ALL actual insulin is only $35 per month out of pocket cost - been this way since 2023.

However, this is just insulin not a sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT-2) inhibitor like Jardiance -

You have a problem but I can’t tell exactly what it is from your post.  If you would post specifics perhaps we could figure out the problem and remedy it.

[DirkB349973]

I googled an article about some drug companies bringing their insulin prices down to $35/month. Maybe there is some useful information in here for you.

www.cnn.com/2024/01/01/politics/insulin-price-cap/index.html

Novo Nordisk in September launched the MyInsulinRx program, which provides a 30-day supply of insulin for $35 to eligible patients, including the uninsured. The company also offers a copay savings card that allows eligible patients to buy its insulin products for as little as $35 and no more than $99, depending on their health insurance coverage.

And Eli Lilly in March instituted an automatic $35 monthly cap on out-of-pocket costs for those with commercial insurance buying its insulin products at participating retail pharmacies. The uninsured are able to download the Lilly Insulin Value Program savings card, which allows them to get the medication for $35 a month.

As far as the donut hole in part D insurance, the only thing I know to do is review your supplemental and part D insurance every year and see what the prices look like (assuming you are on Medicare).