Question

Mrs. Roswell is a new Medicare beneficiary and is interested in selecting a Medicare Part D prescription drug plan. She takes a number of medications and is concerned that she has not been able to identify a plan that covers all of her medications. She does not want to make an abrupt change to new drugs that would be covered and asks what she should do. What should you tell her?

1) Every Part D drug plan is required to cover a single one-month fill of her existing medications sometime during a 90 day transition period.
2) The Medicare Part D drug plan is required to offer her coverage of the exact same drugs that she is currently stabilized on, so she does not need to be concerned about transitioning to any new medications.
3) There is no possibility of obtaining coverage for her existing medications once coverage under the Medicare Part D plan begins. She will need to have her physician help her select a new drug that is covered.
4) She should use any existing prescription drug coverage to get as large a supply of her existing drugs as possible, and then pick new drugs that are covered under her Medicare plan's formulary.

Answer 1

Mrs. Roswell should use her existing prescription drug coverage to get a supply of her current medications, then select a Medicare Part D plan that covers most of her medications. She can work with her physician to make any necessary adjustments to her medication regimen.

Step-by-step explanation:

Medicare Part D prescription drug plans are designed to provide coverage for a wide range of medications. However, it is possible that not all plans will cover every specific medication that Mrs. Roswell takes. In this situation, Mrs. Roswell should take the following steps:

1. First, she should use her existing prescription drug coverage to obtain as much of her current medications as possible before enrolling in a Medicare Part D plan. This will ensure that she has an adequate supply of her current medications.
2. Next, Mrs. Roswell should review the formularies (list of covered drugs) for different Medicare Part D plans to find one that covers the majority of her medications. Some plans may have more comprehensive coverage than others.
3. Once she has identified a plan that covers most of her medications, she can work with her physician to make any necessary adjustments to her medication regimen, such as switching to alternative medications that are covered by the plan.

By following these steps, Mrs. Roswell can ensure that she has access to the medications she needs while also taking advantage of the prescription drug coverage provided by Medicare Part D.