While running errands earlier this year, a sign on a local drug store caught my attention.
The sign read, “We take all Medicare Prescription Drug Plans.”
In theory, they are correct. In reality, though, they may take all Medicare Prescription Drug Plans, however, the co-pays you as a consumer pay will be far more than if you are using the Preferred Pharmacy your Medicare Prescription Drug Plan prefers you to use.
For anyone that is on Medicare, you are able to purchase a Prescription Drug Plan to help you with the costs of Prescription medications. Each plan has a Preferred Pharmacy.
No two plans are alike and each one will have a different Preferred Pharmacy. You may prefer to go to one drug store, while the plan prefers you to go to another.
As a matter of fact, when a doctor asks you what is your Preferred Pharmacy, they aren’t asking you where you prefer to go. They are asking you where your Prescription Drug Plan prefers you to go.
Prescription medications can be up to three to five times more when you don’t use the Preferred Pharmacy. That can make your prescriptions much harder to afford and in some cases, even make them unaffordable.
Our mission at Balanced Care is to share information and education on each insurance product we offer to help you save on your health care costs. This is one of those ways.
If you are unsure of who your Preferred Pharmacy is, reach out to us and we will happy to assist you.
The difference can be between hundreds if not thousands of dollars worth of savings.
Terri Trepanier is the owner of Balanced Care Health and Supplemental Insurance and a licensed insurance consultant and broker with Associated Brokers. Licensed in both Maine and NH, her specialty is working with small businesses, individuals, and families with their health and life insurance needs. She is certified to offer health plans both on and off the exchange and is contracted with every health insurance company that offers plans in both New Hampshire and Maine. Her other passion is assisting Medicare beneficiaries with their Medicare Supplemental, Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Plans, and Medicare Advantage plans. Terri has seen firsthand the importance of insurance products and how they help families. Her goal with Balanced Care is to “Insure Security and Peace of Mind One Family at a Time”