Choose a Medicare Part D (PDP) or Medicare Advantage (MA or MAPD) plan that provides the most cost-effective coverage for your medication and healthcare needs.
However, the more complicated answer is that each person will choose their Medicare drug plan for different reasons and there is no one "right" way to choose a Medicare Part D or Medicare Advantage plan.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (1-800-Medicare) suggest that you look at the factors of Coverage,
Cost, and Convenience when choosing a Medicare plan -- and to Medicare's basic criteria we also add that you should
probably consider the Company and your level of Comfort.
Need a place to begin your search for a Medicare Part D or Medicare Advantage plan?
You can learn more about Medicare Part D plans in one of our top-10 Frequently Asked Question "What is a Medicare Part D plan":
Q1FAQ.com/586
You can also start on our homepage (
Q1Medicare.com) and see the box that is entitled "202X Medicare Part D plans" with a listing of state abbreviations for stand-alone Medicare Part D prescription drug plans.
For example, if you live in the Commonwealth of Virginia, choose "VA", you will be taken to an overview of all Medicare Part D prescription drug plans in Virginia:
PDP-Finder.com/VA. On this page, you can see the name of the Medicare Part D plans, the monthly premium, the initial deductible, and the co-payment rate for the different drug tiers.
If you are looking for a Medicare Advantage plan (with Medicare Part A,
Medicare Part B, and possibly Medicare Part D coverage), you can start
on the
Q1Medicare homepage
and choose the right-box entitled "201X Medicare Advantage plans". You can then enter your ZIP code or choose the state and then the county
to see the Medicare Advantage plans available in your chosen Service
Area. (Medicare Part D plans are available state-wide, Medicare
Advantage plans are offered on a ZIP code or county area or
partial-county area.)
Browsing a plan's formulary or drug list
To see the medications covered by a Medicare Part D plan, you can click on the "
Browse Formulary" link on the right side of the chart to use our
Formulary-Browser.com. You can also click on the icons under the plan names for more plan details and plan contact information.
An example of using the Formulary Browser
Here is an example link to the first page of the
Humana Walmart Value Rx Plan formulary in Virginia.
(
Important: when browsing a plan formulary or other healthcare coverage information, be sure you are looking at formulary or Medicare plan information for the current enrollment year - the plan year should be printed on the plan documents or shown on the computer screen.)
From this Humana Walmart Rx Plan example link, you can see the medication names and packaging information, drug tier number, tier description, cost-sharing and usage management restrictions (if any). Using our
Formulary Browser, you can always change the name of the Medicare Part D plan and state to browse other formularies.
Using the Q1Rx Drug Finder tool to see how all plans in your area cover a particular drug
You can also click on the icon after the drug name and you can see all of the Medicare Part D plans in Virginia that also cover this same medication and at what cost. (This is our
Drug Finder tool (found at
Q1Rx.com) and you can change the prescription name to whatever you wish.)
An example of the Q1Medicare Medicare Advantage plan finder
As an example, here are the Medicare Advantage plans available in ZIP code 22030 in Fairfax County, Virginia:
MA-Finder.com/22030
Again, you can see the basic coverage details of all these Medicare Advantage plans in the list, along with Medicare Part D prescription drug coverage details, if included on the plan (MAPD). The icon below the Medicare Advantage plan name that looks like a small stack of paper will show all of the coverage details for a specific Medicare Advantage plan.
Still need more help with specific issues? Browse our Frequently Asked Questions
If you have specific questions, you can always browse our FAQ section found here:
q1medicare.com/FAQ.php
We have the Medicare & You Handbook online with additional information
We also have the CMS Medicare & You Handbook online, alone with our supplemental notes and information:
q1medicare.com/PartD-MedicareAndYouCMSGuideToMedicare.php
When you need to speak with someone about your plan options or are ready to enroll . . .
If you feel lost or overwhelmed along the way, you can always contact Medicare directly at 1-800-633-4227 (1-800-Medicare), select the prescription drug option, and then choose the option to speak with a Medicare representative or say "representative" during the menu options.
Once connected, you can explain your situation to a Medicare representative and ask them to help you find a Medicare Advantage plan or Medicare Part D prescription drug plan that most economically covers your health and medication needs - or you can ask specific questions about a particular Medicare plan or the Medicare Part D program in general.
If you find a suitable Medicare Advantage plan or Medicare Part D plan and are eligible to enroll into the plan, the Medicare representative can process your enrollment into your chosen Medicare plan directly over the telephone - and the process only takes a few minutes. A Medicare representative is not compensated for a Medicare plan enrollment and provides you with an unbiased view of all available Medicare Part D plans or Medicare Advantage plans.