Enrollment nears for Medicare prescription plans

Vigilance urged in making choices

Be careful -- be very careful.

That's the message people with Medicare prescription drug plans are hearing as the time nears to choose a plan for 2009.

Premiums and the dreaded "doughnut hole" of noncoverage are both increasing for 2009, so consumers should be even more cautious when signing up, Triangle advisers say. Many of the 40-plus plans offered in North Carolina are likely to change their premiums, the drugs they cover, or both.

"You can't just look at the premiums -- you have to look at your medications and see if they are covered," said Gina Upchurch, executive director of Senior PHARMAssist, a Durham nonprofit.

Norma Cone, 74, a retired legal secretary from Durham, said older people trying to decipher insurance company prose can be slowed by bad vision or computer illiteracy.

"Sometimes the plan sounds really good, but it's what they don't tell you," Cone said.

The basics

People with standalone Medicare Part D prescription drug coverage can enroll for 2009 between Saturday and Dec. 31.

Those who have prescription drug coverage through Medicare Advantage, or private Medicare, can enroll between Saturday and March 31.

The 2009 deductible for the Medicare drug benefit is up about 7 percent to $295 and the doughnut hole -- where coverage runs out before picking again -- is up $237 to $3,453.

Tips

* Calculate what you'd pay overall for 2009 based on each plan's coverage of specific medications.

* Ask your adult child or other friend to do Web checks on plans if your computer use is limited.

* Ask someone with no interest in the outcome for help.

* If you have retirement health insurance that covers prescription, watch closely for any changes in premiums or coverage.

Resources

* N.C. Senior Health Insurance Information Program

PHONE: 800-443-9354

ONLINE: www.ncshiip.com

* Durham Senior PHARM- Assist.

PHONE: 688-4772

ONLINE: www.seniorpharmassist.org