Ways you may qualify for extra help (continued)

If you apply and qualify, Medicare will enroll you in a Medicare drug plan if you don’t join one on your own. This makes sure you get help paying for your prescription drug costs. Medicare will mail you a green letter letting you know when your coverage begins. Check to see if the plan covers the drugs you use and if you can go to the pharmacies you want. If not, you can change plans. If the plan Medicare enrolls you in doesn’t meet your needs, you can switch plans at any time.

If you don’t want Medicare to enroll you in a Medicare drug plan (for example, because you want to keep your employer or union coverage), call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) or the plan listed in the green letter and tell them you don’t want to be in a Medicare drug plan and want to "opt out" of enrollment. TTY users should call 1-877-486-2048.

(Primary Source: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services - Your Guide to Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage 2008. This content may have been enhanced by Q1Group LLC to include further examples, explanations, and links.)