Medicare Part D Questions

[littleb]

Currently researching Medicare for my BIL who will be enrolling in the next 6 months.

If you do not elect Part D which is the prescription drug option available under Medicare can you take it out during open enrollment years later? Also if he gets cancer will the cancer drugs be non covered under Medicare if he does not have Part D?

 

[Telly]

For this part:

If you do not elect Part D which is the prescription drug option available under Medicare can you take it out during open enrollment years later?

A penalty applies for ever and ever:
https://www.medicare.gov/part-d/costs/penalty/part-d-late-enrollment-penalty.html

 

[SumDay]

A neighbor told us they just selected the cheapest one they could get when they initially enrolled, and apparently you can switch to something more comprehensive later. But that would alleviate the 'forever & ever amen' penalty.

 

[travelover]

To avoid the penalties noted above, you can buy a very cheap policy with high deductibles, then switch later as you need more coverage.

 

[wolf]

To avoid the penalties noted above, you can buy a very cheap policy with high deductibles, then switch later as you need more coverage.

That's what we did. Cheapest plan D, here in Santa Clara, Calif. was Walmart.
If you use the pharmacy, located inside the Walmart store, you receive maximum benefits.

Turns out, 5 years later, Walmart plan, still the best for us. Most of the drugs we take are generic, level 1.