Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage For Dummies

Introduction  1

Part I: The Nuts and Bolts of Medicare

Prescription Drug Coverage  7

Chapter 1: The ABCs (And D) of Medicare 9

Chapter 2: The Rules of the Game: How Part D Works 23

Chapter 3: The Big Question: What Will Part D Cost (And Save) You? 31

Chapter 4: Delving into Drug Coverage under Part D 43

Chapter 5: Extra Help: A Better Deal if Your Income Is Low 57

Part II: Deciding Whether to Sign Up for Part D  83

Chapter 6: Taking Other Drug Coverage and Sources into Account 85

Chapter 7: Considering Coverage if You Take Few or No Drugs Right Now 105

Chapter 8: Confronting the Late Penalty 113

Part III: Choosing and Enrolling in the Right Part D Plan for You  123

Chapter 9: The First Cut: Deciding How You Want to Receive Your Medical Benefits 125

Chapter 10: Making a Smart Choice among Medicare Prescription Drug Plans 149

Chapter 11: Buyer Beware: Avoiding Scams and Hard-Sell Marketing183

Chapter 12: Signing Up for a Part D Plan for the First Time 195

Part IV: You’re In! Navigating Part D from the Inside  205

Chapter 13: You’ve Just Signed Up — What Happens Now? 207

Chapter 14: Filling Your Prescriptions 221

Chapter 15: In and Out of the Coverage Gap 233

Chapter 16: Bringing Down Your Drug Costs 249

Chapter 17: Switching to Another Plan 263

Chapter 18: Staying in Long-Term Care (Or Helping Someone Who Is) 283

Chapter 19: You Have Rights: How to Holler and (If Necessary) Holler Louder 293

Part V: The Part of Tens  313

Chapter 20: Ten Ways Boomers Can Help Loved Ones with Part D 315

Chapter 21: Ten Proposed Changes to Part D You Should Know About 321

Part VI: Appendixes  325

Appendix A: Worksheets327

Appendix B: Sources of Help 333

Appendix C: Buying Prescription Drugs Safely from Abroad 345

Index  351