Medicare for You: What You Need to Know (Part 2)
Reading Time: 2 MinutesLast Updated: April 13, 2023
This is part two of our series on Medicare benefits. Did you miss the first blog? Please check it out here.
Did you know you can save money on Medicare costs this year? The Inflation Reduction Act which President Biden signed into law in August 2022, will help you save money on Medicare prescription drug costs and recommended adult vaccines starting in 2023.
Let’s explore a few of the ways that this new law will lower your Medicare prescription drug costs.
If you:
- Have Medicare prescription drug coverage – you’ll pay nothing out-of-pocket for recommended adult vaccines (including the shingles vaccine) starting in January 2023.
- Take insulin covered by your Medicare drug plan – you’ll pay no more than $35 in cost-sharing for a month’s supply of each covered insulin product starting in January 2023.
- Take insulin through a pump covered under Medicare’s durable medical equipment benefit – you’ll pay no more than $35 for a month’s supply starting in July 2023.
Starting in 2025, annual out-of-pocket costs for people with Medicare prescription drug coverage will be capped at $2,000 thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act.
Medicare Savings Programs
If you have limited income and resources, you may qualify for Medicare Saving Programs administered by your state Medicaid program. These programs could help save you money on health and prescription drug costs and reduce your Part B premium. For more information, contact your state Medicaid program or call 1-800-MEDICARE and ask about Medicare Savings Programs.
Medicare is here to help
Having Medicare means you’re getting the health care coverage you need to stay safe and healthy. That’s our priority at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. We’re here to help you compare Medicare coverage choices and learn about options to help pay for your Medicare costs.
Please visit Medicare.gov to learn more about Medicare. We encourage you also to access personalized health insurance counseling at no cost. This is available from your State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP). To find your local SHIP, visit shiphelp.org or call 1-800-MEDICARE. Many SHIPs offer virtual counseling.
Please share this article with your loved ones – and post it on social media.
Traditional or Original Medicare, Medicare Advantage Plans, and Medicare drug plans are administered by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
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ucmpl
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selmanyetkin.com
Yes, I agree. Medicare gives with one hand and takes with the other.
Amartam
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Robert L.
My husband is a diabetic, he is on a insulin pump. He was on the insulin pump before going on Medicare. Medicare pays for the insulin for his pump, no problem. The problem is Medicare doesn’t want to pay for suppliesthat pertains to the pump. He is his about to file his second appeal to have the the pump supplies paid for
He supplied a letter from the doctor saying he is seen 4 times a year, and it is required to use his pimp for diabetic treatment.He sent papers from our previous insurance company saying they originally paid for the pump and sensors.
Is there any information or help you can give me to help file our second appeal
A.C.
Hi, Robert. We are sorry to hear about your husband’s condition and situation. Unfortunately, his situation is a bit more complex than we can handle in this forum. He may wish to contact his local Medicare SHIP (State Health Insurance Program Coordinator) to discuss your concerns. We hope this helps.
Michael
I have a stand alone prescription plan through Cigna. Will this cover my vaccines, like shingles, etc
Claire H.
Vaccines are free. You can get it at your pharmacy too. I have the same plan.
David L.
It seems unfair to me whenever an offer of help comes from the Medicare organisations. My pension is $1400 a mnth after paying medicare. Not a lot to live on. However, I took the decision to save & invest for such a time as needed so am regarded as not qualifying for these offers. I was prudent but now I am damned.
Elaine E.
Yes, I agree. Medicare gives with one hand and takes with the other. Not exactly the security our government has promised us. I am new to Medicare this year and found out my Part B premium was going to be in excess of $545 a month. Yes, I my income over the last 2 years has been significant, but I have also paid an enormous obligation into the tax base that so many of Americans have not, yet they do not get penalized. It should not be income based- it should be equally distributed as I should not be penalized for working when so many others do not, will not and have not. Our government ignores the needs of the people who have built our country thru tax dollars and gives to those who pay very little or none at all.
Ld
I was charged extra for part B Premium which is called IRM
AA (income related monthly adjusted amount). I filled out form SSA-44 a qualified event form. I advised them that my income for the current year is zero. SSA revised my premium. They normally look back 2 years of tax return to determine the annual income; since they don’t have current year data yet. Do this quickly since I am not sure if they would retro-active or just going forward if they revise the premium. I sent my form before my Medicare had started.
A.C.
Hi, Ld. Thanks for visiting your blog. For your security, we do not have access to private information in this venue. We ask that members in our Blog community work with our offices with specific questions. You can call us at 1-800-772-1213, Monday through Friday, between 8:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m., for assistance. You can also contact your local Social Security office. We hope this helps.
Thomas
Yes i got a letter today saying there not going to pay my medical part b anymore and I’m disabled have been for many years i can’t pay my house payments and now this.
TAVERA R.
I pay to much now for my meds
Cindy L.
I have not been happy with medicare + plan G supplement compared to Kaiser permanente through employer and when trying to get first prescription I was informed my part D wanted brand name as “they get a kickback” and if I don’t use that at 3 x’s the price it won’t count toward my $500 deductible”!! Albuterol inhalers (3) at $180 versus $60…this is so outrageous.
Don S.
Check out a Medicare Advantage plan in your area. They have the prescription plan embedded within the plan and not deductible. Tier 1 and Tier 2 are many times no copay. Plans available for $18 and $25 a month.
Suzie
The Advantage plans are only good if you are HEALTHY. If you need care there are hoops to jump through, foot dragging on authorizations and denials PLUS you are limited to a limited group of MDs/Hospitals. Original Medicare is the ONLY way to go until they take it away. .
Beverly J.
I did not elect to get Part D Prescription Drug coverage because at the time of Medicare enrollment I did not need it. I don’t think that such a severe premium penalty should be imposed on people who might choose to elect coverage at a much later date. I suppose that some insurance company could have been pocketing profits off me for 10 years for having a policy “just in case,” but that is playing off people’s fears. Why not have penalty free windows for later enrollment, at later ages?
M. E.
I agree. I did not sign up for medicare when I should have, therefore, I did not enroll in the Prescription coverage on time. As a result, I must pay a penalty EVERY MONTH until I die!!! I could agree with maybe a couple of months of penalty, but for LIFE!!! Shame on the politics of Medicare. That shows me Medicare does not work for me, but for the drug companies and their political “friends,”
Bob
It is not politics. If you get life insurance or LTC when you are younger, it is always cheaper. If you wait to get Long Term Care (LTC) insurance when you turn 75, because when you were younger you knew you were healthy and most likely would not need it, it will cost you a LOT more per month than if you started it at age 65. Same for life insurance, that is the way insurance works. If everyone waited until they started needing medication to get part D, everyone would be paying many times more per month for the rest of their lives. Why should I have to pay more for my part D because you did not want to pay until you started needing medication?
Jill
I agree Bob. Beverly thinks some insurance company would have been pocketing profits off her for 10 years if she was paying for part D but that is completely wrong. Your part D payments do not go to any insurance company; it goes into the Medicare pot to pay the prescriptions for everyone who has part D coverage.
Ernesto S.
I am a retiree in a foreign country (Philippines) and I just wonder if there has been any progress in granting or availability of portability coverage on medicare? Please reply timetable if any.
Rick D.
Why should there be? Why should Medicare send money to a foreign country. Your choice.