Arlington County’s Virginia Insurance Counseling and Assistance Program
(VICAP) provides free, unbiased, one-on-one insurance counseling to Arlington County Medicare Beneficiaries, their families, friends and caregivers.
Making the Most of Medicare Open Enrollment
November 20th, 2024 | 10:00AM - 11:30AM
The Shelton Apartments
3215 24th St S, Arlington, VA 22206
Are you concerned that prescription costs have increased as your health needs change? Do you have new prescriptions, or some not covered by your current Part D Plan? Will the cost of your Medicare plan increase?
The Medicare Open Enrollment period, which runs from October 15 to December 7, is the time to review your Part D Prescription Drug Plans and Part C Medicare Advantage Plans and evaluate any alternatives.
Join Arlington County VICAP on November 20th at The Shelton Apartments to receive information on Medicare Open Enrollment and learn about tools that can help you make the best decisions about your Medicare plan for the upcoming year.
Register today by emailing Medicarehelp@arlingtonva.us
or calling 703-228-1725
|
5 ways to get help with prescription costs
Open Enrollment is a great opportunity for you to switch your Medicare Advantage or Part D plan, but what if the cost of your prescription is still too high even if you switch plans? Below are tips to help you save costs on your prescriptions.
1. Apply for Extra Help.
Medicare and Social Security have a program called Extra Help—a way for people with limited income and resources to get help with Medicare Part D costs. If you qualify for Extra Help, you could pay no more than:
- $4.50 for each generic covered drug in 2024
- $11.20 for each brand-name covered drug in 2024
2. Consider switching to generics or other lower-cost drugs.
There may be generic or less-expensive brand-name drugs that would work just as well as the ones you're taking now. Talk to your doctor to find out if this is an option for you. You might also be able to lower your prescription drug costs by using mail-order pharmacies.
3. Pharmaceutical Assistance Programs.
Some pharmaceutical companies offer programs to help pay for medications for people enrolled in Medicare's Part D Prescription Drug Plan. Find out whether there’s a Pharmaceutical Assistance Program that can lower prescription costs for the drugs you take. Each company has different eligibility requirements. Contact the company to find out if you’re eligible and start getting help.
4. State Pharmaceutical Assistance Programs.
Many states and the U.S. Virgin Islands offer help paying for prescriptions, drug plan premiums and/or other drug costs. Find out if your state has a State Pharmaceutical Assistance Program that you can benefit from.
|
Only scammers tell you to buy a
gift card to pay them
Virginiasmp | October 11, 2024
Did someone tell you to buy a gift card to pay a fine or bill? Stop. It’s a scam. No real business or government agency will ever tell you to buy a gift card to pay them. Here’s how to spot and avoid gift card scams.
Gift card scams start with a call, text, email, or social media message. The person contacting you is, they say, from the government or a company you know. (They’re not.) They say to pay right away or something terrible will happen. (It won’t.) (READ MORE)
|
Dear VICAP Team,
How do I choose a Part D plan during Fall Open Enrollment?
Dear Medicare Beneficiary,
Each year between October 15th and December 7th, you have the chance to compare and change your Medicare Advantage or Part D plan. The first thing you should do is review your current Medicare Part D plan to see if there are any upcoming changes that will impact your prescription coverage. If you find that your prescription will be a higher price or that it will not be covered under your plan, you can use the medicare.gov Plan Finder tool to review other plans and compare prescription prices using the steps below.
- Go to www.medicare.gov and click on the button that says, “Find Plans Now.”
- You can do a general search on the right side of the page, under the title “Continue without logging in.” If you wish to save your drugs and pharmacy information, log into or create a Medicare account on the left side of the page.
- Next, enter your zip code and then choose what kind of plan you are looking for—a Medicare Advantage or Part D Prescription Drug Plan.
- Enter the drugs you take and choose up to 5 pharmacies.
The Plan Finder will display a list of plans in your area that you can compare. If you need assistance with reviewing or comparing your Part D or Medicare Advantage plan, you can contact our VICAP team for assistance. Some additional tips to consider when choosing a Part D plan include:
- Call the plan directly before enrolling to confirm any information you read on the Plan Finder.
- Use In Network pharmacies for your plan to ensure you get the lowest price on your prescriptions.
- Consider speaking to your provider about alternatives if the price for your prescription is too high.
-
Click here to see a list of questions you can ask when calling a company about their prescription drug coverage.
 Contact the Arlington County VICAP team by phone or email:
703-228-1725
MedicareHelp@arlingtonva.us
This project was supported, in part by grant number 90SAPG0064, from the U.S. Administration for Community Living (ACL), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Points of view or opinions do not, therefore, necessarily represent official ACL policy
|
