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Q1Medicare.com - Medicare Prescription Drug Plans: FAQs

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•	What is a Medicare Part D plan? Medicare Part D prescription drug plans provide insurance coverage for your out-patient prescription drugs - so Medicare Part D plans work just like any other types of insurance: (1) you usually pa . . .
•	What is SLMB or a Specified Low Income Medicare Beneficiary? SLMB is one type of Medicare Savings Program for the "Specified Low - Income Medicare Beneficiary" and, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), SLMB is defined as: "A Medic . . .
•	I wish to drop my Medicare Part D prescription drug plan coverage - What should I do? In general, you can only drop, disenroll, or cancel your Medicare Part D plan or Medicare Advantage plan coverage during the Annual Open Enrollment Period (AEP) -- that runs each year from Octob . . .
•	How will I choose between a stand-alone Medicare Part D prescription drug plan (PDP) and a Medicare Advantage plan that includes prescription drug coverage (MAPD)? Medicare prescription drug coverage is available through either stand-alone Medicare Part D prescription drug plans (PDPs) or Medicare Advantage plans that include prescription drug coverage (MAPDs) . . .
•	What are the Medicare Part D Special Enrollment Periods (SEP)? Usually, most Medicare beneficiaries can only change their Medicare Part D or Medicare Advantage plan coverage during the Annual Open Enrollment Period (AEP or Annual Enrollment Period or Annual Coord . . .
•	What kind of discount can we expect in the Medicare Part D Donut Hole or Coverage Gap? Starting back in the 2011 Medicare Part D plan year, a discount or co-insurance (cost-sharing) was introduced to reduce the cost of generic and brand-name prescription drugs purchased by non-LIS . . .
•	I am considering changing my prescription drug coverage to the Humana Walmart-Preferred Rx Plan and I was wondering if I can only go to Walmart for my prescriptions? No, you do not have to use Walmart as your only pharmacy. The Humana Medicare Part D plans include over 50,000+ pharmacies in their pharmacy network. However, you may pay much more for your . . .
•	If I decide not to join any Medicare prescription drug plan, and I do not have any other prescription coverage, how long will I have to pay the late-enrollment premium penalty? Probably forever. The late-enrollment premium penalty is permanent for most people over 65 and you will pay the penalty as long as you are enrolled in a Medicare Part D prescription drug plan (o . . .
•	How does the Income-Related Monthly Adjustment Amount (or IRMAA) affect me and my Medicare plan premiums? If you are paying IRMAA (the Income-Related Monthly Adjustment Amount), this means that, based on your income, you will pay higher premiums for your Medicare Part B and Medicare Part D coverage.As not . . .
•	What is the Qualified Medicare Beneficiary (QMB) program and how can it save me money? The Qualified Medicare Beneficiary (QMB) program is one of four Medicare Savings Programs (QMB, SLMB, QI, and QDWI) established by Medicare to help low-income Medicare beneficiaries pay their Medicare . . .

•	Do you have a Donut Hole calculator or a way to estimate my annual Medicare Part D spending? Yes. Our Medicare Part D Donut Hole calculator or PDP-Planner is designed so seniors and other Medicare beneficiaries can see how their Part D drug spending could change throughout the year and . . .
•	What is the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period (MA OEP)? The Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period (MA OEP) is another enrollment period allowing people currently enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan (MAPD or MA) an opportunity to change Medicare Advan . . .
•	Is there a Special Enrollment Period for Medicare beneficiaries affected by a Major Disaster like a hurricane, typhoon, wildfire, flood, or earthquake? Yes. If you live in an area where the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) declared an emergency or major disaster, and you were not able to take advantage of an enrollment period (such as . . .
•	How much can the cost of a common generic drug vary between Medicare Part D plans and pharmacies? As shown in the actual examples below, your generic drug costs can vary widely between Medicare Part D plans and between the pharmacies used by the Medicare Part D plans.A little background on drug pr . . .
•	How will my Medicare Part D prescription drug plan actively fight the opioid epidemic? Starting in 2019, your Medicare Part D plan (MAPD or PDP) will implement a drug management program (or drug utilization management) to monitor and limit at-risk Medicare beneficiaries’ access to . . .
•	Can I compare my Medicare Part D retail drug costs to the the estimated cost using a non-Part D Drug Discount card? Yes. You can use our Medicare Part D Drug Finder (Q1Rx.com) to see how all Medicare Part D prescription drug plans (PDPs) or Medicare Advantage plans that include drug coverage (MAPDs) in your . . .
•	What is indication-based utilization management and how will it affect Medicare Part D plan members? Indication-based utilization management (or indication limitations) is a newly introduced type of utilization management that a Medicare Part D prescription drug plan can implement along with the plan . . .
•	Do you have an online Formulary Browser that I can use to see the prescriptions covered by my Medicare Part D plan? Yes. We have our Formulary Browser online that includes every Medicare Part D and Medicare Advantage plan formulary or drug list and all formularies are formatted for alphabetical browsing. . . .
•	What discount will I receive for my tier 5 specialty drugs when I am in the Medicare Part D Donut Hole? It depends on the drug. The formulary drug tier (such as a Tier 5 Specialty Drug) does not affect your Donut Hole discount.Instead, the discount you receive on your medications when reaching the . . .
•	How do I get a refund for over-paid Medicare Part D premiums and co-payments? The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) provides a "tip sheet" explaining how Medicare beneficiaries can receive a refund for their overpaid Medicare drug plan copayment and/or premiu . . .