Those Prescription Drug Plans (Medicare Part D) with Low(er) Cost Insulin?

[GailL1]

Are people finding this type of plan beneficial or NOT?

[MaryF92215]

Right now I'm so annoyed that I'm forced to pay for a meds program that I'm forced to pay for or be penalize for life. I've never been able to get a price I can afford for my meds. Good RX is better and is cheaper for meds. MC plan wanted to charge me $530 for a prescription by my Dr for 40mg 3mo's of pills for Nexium ( cheaper over counter but small dose and would have to take more ). I was able to get it a pharmacy discount program for $21 for 3 mo.'s for same thing. I've never been able to afford any meds with any MC plan that I pay for and I never meet the deductible. I almost never need meds. They are ripping us seniors off

[ReTiReD51]

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@GailL1 

The Medicare.gov  Plan Finder removed the insulin savings filter tab for 2022. They had it last year in 2021.

The reason they did remove it was because using that filter would give you the plans with the lowest cost insulin prices but not necessarily the lowest cost for your other medications. So now you just input all your drugs including insulin and let the software figure the lowest premium and drug cost for you. Then you can search through all the plans keeping an eye open for the plans that cover all your drugs. For example this plan covers 6 out of 6 of your drugs versus another plan covering 5 out of 6 of your drugs.

[GailL1]

Thanks but I am wondering if people are finding the plans beneficial.

Meaning - are they meeting their medication needs - all medications like you said but also the price and availability of the plans.  Are they offering the type of insulin they currently use.

Removing the filter seems like a good move - 

I am still finding people that know nothing about the insulin saving plans - don't ask me why - I don't know.

[ReTiReD51]

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@GailL1 

Evidently people are getting those insulin savings plans I don’t know how many. The folks that told me about the plan finder updates are medicare.gov employees who assist people in finding the lowest cost drug plan for them. They look at all plans they don’t care what the insurance company’s name is.

I don’t take insulin but I did a sample search for a brand of insulin “lispro” plus I included a tier 1 and tier 2 drug and found a company that had a pack of 5, 3ml pens of insulin per month plus the tier 1 and 2 drug for $1608 mail order for the year. AARP Medicare RX Preferred PDP was the plan and it looks like they were the only plan out of 23 plans to offer an insulin savings. The other 22 plans had annual costs  at between $4000-$5000.

You’d have to ask someone who sells insurance how many of the companies they represent offer the insulin savings program and if taken into consideration does it cover all of someone’s drugs at affordable prices.

That’s why people should shop around at Medicare.gov plan finder for their part D PDP prescription drug plan. You can choose any insurance plan and company you want in order to get the lowest prices.