If you are in a Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) and wish to stay in your PACE plan with prescription drug coverage, you don't have to do anything to continue to get your drug coverage through PACE as you do now.
Your PACE plan will automatically include the Medicare prescription drug coverage.
If you join a separate Medicare drug plan, you will be disenrolled from your PACE plan.
Remember, your PACE program provides not only your prescription drug coverage, but all of your health care services. This means if you join a separate Medicare drug plan, you will no longer get other health care services from your PACE plan.
If you are currently in a PACE plan and want to switch to a different Medicare drug plan, you must join a Medicare drug plan within 63 days of your PACE disenrollment date and you won't have to pay a [Medicare Part D late-enrollment] penalty.z
Remember, if you join a separate Medicare drug plan, you will no longer receive other health care services from your PACE plan.
If you join a Medicare drug plan but later decide to enroll in PACE, you can disenroll from the Medicare drug plan and switch to a PACE plan at any time, as long as you qualify for the PACE benefit.
If you stay in your PACE plan and have Medicare but not Medicaid, you will pay a separate monthly premium for your Medicare drug coverage, as well as another premium for all other services that you get through PACE. You may qualify for extra help from Medicare paying for your prescriptions depending on your income and resources.
If you stay in your PACE plan and have Medicare and Medicaid, you do not need to do anything. You will continue to get your drugs as you do now at no out-of-pocket cost to you. You automatically qualify for extra help paying for Medicare drug coverage.
If you have questions about the Medicare prescription drug coverage or would like help completing an application for extra help paying for Medicare prescription drug coverage, talk to your social worker or any other staff person at your PACE organization.
(Source: U.S. Department of Health & Human Services)