It's that time of year again! You can review, compare and join a 2018 drug plan now through December 7, 2017. It is strongly recommended that we seniors annually review our drug plans so there are no surprises. Premiums change as do the tiers for drugs we presently take.
There are 3 different methods you can use to review your plan:
1) Make an appointment with a local pharmacist and ask for their help in determining what is best for you. Be sure to take your Medicare card and your list of medicines with you.
2) Make an appointment through the Lyon County Extension Office for SHICK (Senior Health Insurance Counselors of Kansas) ; they start making appointments today, Oct. 17. Be sure to take your Medicare card and your list of medicines with you to your appointment. Phone number: 341-3220
3) If you'd like to explore the Drug Plan options yourself, the medicare.gov website is excellent! https://www.medicare.gov/find-a-plan/questions/home.aspx We used it last year for us, and then I used it for my mom BEFORE we went to an appointment with the SHICK program for her. Results were identical. The website is exactly the same one the SHICK program used last year (and my guess is that pharmacists also use the same website).
If you'd like help using the website, there are 5 video tutorials (anywhere from 1-5 minutes in length):
Getting Started
Entering Your Prescription Drugs
Selecting Pharmacies
Refining and Sorting Plan Results
Comparing Plans
Whatever method you choose, please review your present plan. Costs can change dramatically from year to year, so even if you choose to stay with the same plan next year, at least you can know what the increase in premiums or drugs will be.
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