Medicarebob

The 2019 Part D drug plans have been released and there have been a few changes made. In order to better understand these changes, you need to understand how drug plans work. Most drug plans have 4 levels of coverage: Deductible Level, Copay Level, Coverage Gap and Catastrophic Level. The updates made to the Part D drug plans are as follows: 1. The standard deductible is $415. Keep in mind that a lot of carriers are offering a “Tiered Deductible”, meaning that the deductible does not apply to Tier 1 and Tier 2 medications. So, one would pay a small amount for Tiers 1 and 2 from the start. 2. The copay level, the plan pays 75% of their negotiated cost and the client pays 25% as their copay. Different plans get certain medications for lower and higher costs (formulary). This is one reason it is important to shop your Medicare Part D plan every year. 3. Coverage Gap (Donut Hole): Once the client and the Medicare Part D Plan have paid $3.820 for the medication costs, the client enters the Donut Hole. Great news!