part d drug price increases

[frank]

I was checking medicare.gov yesterday and got quite a surprise. it seems that while the premiums stayed the same or even decreased a little, the drugs under their plans increased by a large margin. anyone else been checking the standalone part d plans yet this year? thanks

 

[harllee]

I got a notice from my Humana Walmart Part D plan that my premium will be increasing about 30% next year. I will be looking for a new plan after the season opens on 10/15. Fortunately I don't take any prescriptions so I shop for the cheapest plan every year. I always wait until after 10/15 to start looking on Medicare.gov for Part D information because things are not finalized until then.

 

[frank]

wellcare is what I use and it is currently 10.60 per month for 2022 and I am like you I use only one prescription. on the other hand dw uses a few but this plan has always worked in the past.

 

[audreyh1]

DH has no regular prescriptions, so we dont notice price changes.

 

[wmc1000]

DW part d increase is scheduled to go from $14.30 to $43.20 next year. In researching preliminary info for 2022 it appears the cheapest plans have increased their Rx copays and no longer have $0 copays on their generic tier 1 drugs. DW has 7 generic drugs and it appears we will change her plan to 1 that is $29.40 per mo. that has all her drugs at $0 copay.

 

[athena53]

I have Wellcare and my premium will triple (from $23/month to $69/month BEFORE IRMAA surcharges that double those figures) if I don't change plans. I'm on only one prescription with no generic substitute so most plans cover about the same amount after the deductible is met. I found another Wellcare plan that's about $16/month in 2022. I'll be going with that one.

 

[CardsFan]

We both have Wellcare Wellness Rx, which changes names to Wellcare Value Script in 2022. Price dropped from $15.20 in 2021 to $12.90 2022. For my generic prescriptions it looks like my costs would not change much next year.

DW has one generic, but it is a tier 3 drug meaning she pays full cost until the deductible is filled. Even at this rate, she will not fill up the deductible.

But, I am having a hard time comparing plans. I get different total annual costs using Medicare.gov and Via Benefits (need to use Via to get HSA money to the tune of $1,400/yr each). The differences only amount to a few hundred per year, so she may just stay with Wellcare. I will check again when open enrollment starts.

 

[grasshopper]

SilverScripts went up $.90 to $7.50, my one generic copay is now $1 a month from free in 2021.

 

[Teacher Terry]

Cardsfan, I also get 195/month from my employer by using via benefits. I have a WellCare part d drug plan and it looks to be going down by a dollar a month. Once it’s the 15th I will check to see if my 3 prescriptions are still covered.

 

[Koolau]

Since Doc dropped my most expensive drug, I need to reevaluate Part D as well.

 

[swakyaby]

SilverScripts went up $.90 to $7.50, my one generic copay is now $1 a month from free in 2021.

Same here. Aetna Silverscript went from $7.20/month to $7.50, and DH’s copay for 2 tier one prescriptions went from $0 to $1 each.

 

[Katsmeow]

Wellcare Classic premium up from 19.50 to 21.70. That is OKish.

But a lot of the cost sharing went up. The standard cost sharing went up but I always use a preferred pharmacy. Tier 2 $1 copay is now $7. Tier 3 preferred is $38 up from $35. Tier 4 had a 35% copay and would now be 39%.

When I originally picked this I had no regular prescription but I figured most expensive stuff would be Tier 4 and this 35% copay was better than most. Going to 39% will move this plan down the list most likely.

I don't ordinary have regular prescriptions but I had an eye problem this year that resulted in my needing losts of drops. One drop exceeded the deductible just for that one medication and then it moved to the $35 copay. Next year I will most likely be having 1 or 2 cataract surgeries so there will be more drops in my future.

I will want to look at the plans available at Via Benefits and see what will work best.

 

[Another Reader]

I see the same large increases in most premiums and decreases in coverage on the Via Benefits site. Wellcare and a couple of other companies no longer include Safeway on their preferred pharmacy list, only CVS and Walmart. So it looks like the cheapest plan for me next year will be Aetna, which does include Safeway, at $7.50 a month.

I have been getting voice mails from people claiming they work with Wellcare and to call them back about my Medicare plan. Yesterday I got one saying this was not a sales call and to please call them back. Looked the number up via Google. Nah, you can send me a letter, along with the other sales pitches that are discarded at the recycling bin.

 

[ShokWaveRider]

We find it kind of pathetic that "they" expect us to buy something based on what a has been celebrity tells us. How shallow do they think we are? Pretty shallow I suppose.

 

[Walt34]

We find it kind of pathetic that "they" expect us to buy something based on what a has been celebrity tells us. How shallow do they think we are? Pretty shallow I suppose.

Evidently enough people are shallow enough to be influenced by has-been celebrities or those companies wouldn't hire them.

But I agree, pretty shallow, and downright dumb.

 

[rodi]

We've had to switch among Humana programs a few times because they jack up the prices, then introduce a plan similar to the original, at the original price... So if you aren't paying attention, the price goes up.

DH only takes a generic statin, which are cheaper than any drug plan benefit... so he just mail orders and pays a few bucks. So we go with the cheapest plan.

We're looking at Wellcare Value for next year since the Humana plan is going from $17/month to $23/month for our zipcode.

Not sure why drug plans are based on zipcode... I understand regional prices for medical/hospitals/doctors... but not for drugs.

 

[frank]

why is it cheaper to buy some of the more expensive drugs from canada? way cheaper. you would think this country could get at least the same drug pricing as our northern neighbor.

 

[athena53]

We find it kind of pathetic that "they" expect us to buy something based on what a has been celebrity tells us. How shallow do they think we are? Pretty shallow I suppose.

BF, who works for a SHIP hotline answering questions from Medicare beneficiaries, talks to plenty of "them". He has to deal with their disappointment at the limitations of what they've been sold. I don't have commercial TV but I saw one of those commercials and I'm sure the little old lady who says at the end that she got the "benefits I was entitled to" appeals to many.

why is it cheaper to buy some of the more expensive drugs from canada? way cheaper. you would think this country could get at least the same drug pricing as our northern neighbor.

My understanding is that the national health insurance plans in other countries negotiate these reduced prices. The result is that we in the US pay for the profits research and development, regulation, etc. and the rest of the world benefits.

 

[Teacher Terry]

Today I received notice that my supplemental plan is going up 20/month. So tomorrow I will go to via benefits to see if my drug plan still covers my prescriptions reasonably and if I can find a cheaper decent supplemental plan. No wonder my sister was complaining about having to do this yearly.

 

[harllee]

Today I received notice that my supplemental plan is going up 20/month. So tomorrow I will go to via benefits to see if my drug plan still covers my prescriptions reasonably and if I can find a cheaper decent supplemental plan. No wonder my sister was complaining about having to do this yearly.

Terry I go to Medicare.gov every year and look for the best Part D plan for me. Only takes me a few minutes, no big deal. If you make your change on Medicare.gov, Medicare notifies both the old and new plans, very easy.

 

[Another Reader]

Terry I go to Medicare.gov every year and look for the best Part D plan for me. Only takes me a few minutes, no big deal. If you make your change on Medicare.gov, Medicare notifies both the old and new plans, very easy.

She will need to make the changes at Via Benefits, the administrator for her retirement plan, after selecting a plan from their website. They in turn will inform Medicare. So far for me the website has been easy to navigate and they have handled changes efficiently.

This year I noticed the lists of preferred pharmacies across the board have shrunk. I'm not a CVS fan and our Walmart pharmacies are disasters, so I'm going with the cheapest Aetna plan, which includes Safeway.

 

[harllee]

Just checked with Medicare.gov for my cheapest plan (I don't take any prescriptions so I usually go with the least expensive plan). The cheapest plan for me is Silverscript Smart RX (only $7 per month, next cheapest is a about $20 per month). Does anyone know anything about Silverscript? I loooked at Silverscript's reviews and they are awful for customer service ( I guess that is why they are so much cheaper).

 

[swakyaby]

Just checked with Medicare.gov for my cheapest plan (I don't take any prescriptions so I usually go with the least expensive plan). The cheapest plan for me is Silverscript Smart RX (only $7 per month, next cheapest is a about $20 per month). Does anyone know anything about Silverscript? I loooked at Silverscript's reviews and they are awful for customer service ( I guess that is why they are so much cheaper).

I signed DH for Aetna Silverscript for $7.20/month in California. It had 2 preferred pharmacies (Safeway & CVS) and a preferred mail order that ships 3 month supplies at no extra charge. DH takes 2 tier one prescriptions, so his copay was $0.00. He switched to the mail order, and it has been trouble-free. They ship promptly and overlap shipment of his next refill by one week so there is no fretting. Next year, his copay for tier one prescriptions will be $1.00 per prescription. So far, he’s satisfied.

 

[Dawg52]

I just switched from Wellcare to Aetna Silverscript using Medicare.gov. Last year I paid $15 and change per month and this year Aetna quoted $6.50/mo. Drug cost will be lower too with same preferred pharmacies.

 

[CardsFan]

We both have Wellcare Wellness Rx, which changes names to Wellcare Value Script in 2022. Price dropped from $15.20 in 2021 to $12.90 2022. For my generic prescriptions it looks like my costs would not change much next year.

DW has one generic, but it is a tier 3 drug meaning she pays full cost until the deductible is filled. Even at this rate, she will not fill up the deductible.

But, I am having a hard time comparing plans. I get different total annual costs using Medicare.gov and Via Benefits (need to use Via to get HSA money to the tune of $1,400/yr each). The differences only amount to a few hundred per year, so she may just stay with Wellcare. I will check again when open enrollment starts.

Quoting my previous post.

I thought that maybe the differences would change when actual enrollment started.

Still get the same discrepancy. Not big bucks. But has anyone else had this problem? Which one do you believe?