48 THE QUEENS COURIER • HEALTH • OCTOBER 5, 2017 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
health
Turning 65? Choosing the right Medicare
Part D plan starts with 4 simple rules
If you’re turning 65 in 2017 or 2018,
you’re one of 10,000 people who become
Medicare-eligible each day. Choosing
Medicare prescription drug coverage can
be confusing, especially for the fi rst time.
You may have questions about which
plan fi ts your healthcare needs and budget
or how to enroll. Th e good news is, it
doesn’t have to be overwhelming if you
know these four rules.
Rule #1: Lower premium plans may
mean higher costs. Plans with a lower
premium may end up costing more in the
long run if they have higher drug copays,
which can really add up.
Rule #2: Not every plan covers every
drug. Drug lists (formularies) can change
every year and so can the drugs you take.
Be sure to check your plan’s formulary
each year to make sure any medications
you take are covered.
Rule #3: Check that there are pharmacies
close to you. Th at way, it’s easier to fi ll
your prescriptions. Select a plan with a wide
range of “preferred” pharmacies, which typically
off er lower co-pays than standard
pharmacies in the network. Also, see if
using a home delivery pharmacy or a 90-day
supply could lower your costs even more.
Rule #4: Look for 24/7 access to pharmacists
and Medicare experts who can
answer questions about your medicines
and off er drug safety tips, money-saving
alternatives and expertise in drugs to treat
specifi c conditions.
Also, remember to check the Medicare
Part D plan’s Star Rating. Th is is the overall
quality and performance rating (out of
5 stars) based on member satisfaction surveys
and other measures by Th e Centers
for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
For more information, please
visit www.Medicare.gov or www.
RoadmapForMedicare.com. To talk to
an Express Scripts Medicare adviser, call
1.866.544.3794, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., 7 days a
week (TTY users: 1.800.716.3231).
Courtesy BPT
Medicare recipients will be getting new cards in 2018
Th e Centers for Medicare & Medicaid
Services (CMS) gave the public its fi rst
look last month at the newly designed
Medicare card.
Th e new Medicare card contains a
unique, randomly-assigned number that
replaces the current Social Security-based
number.
CMS will begin mailing the new cards
to people with Medicare benefi ts in April
2018 to meet the statutory deadline for
replacing all existing Medicare cards
by April 2019. In addition to today’s
announcement, people with Medicare
will also be able to see the design of the
new Medicare card in the 2018 Medicare
& You Handbook. Th e handbooks were
mailed in September.
“Th e goal of the initiative to remove
Social Security numbers from Medicare
cards is to help prevent fraud, combat
CMS has assigned all people with
receive a new Medicare card in the
identify theft , and safeguard taxpayer
Medicare benefits a new, unique
mail, and will be instructed to safely and
dollars,” said CMS Administrator Seema
Medicare number, which contains a
securely destroy their current Medicare
Verma. “We’re very excited to share the
combination of numbers and uppercase
card and keep their new Medicare number
new design.”
letters. People with Medicare will
confi dential. Issuance of the new
number will not change benefi ts that
people with Medicare receive.
Healthcare providers and people with
Medicare will be able to use secure lookup
tools that will allow quick access to
the new Medicare numbers when needed.
Th ere will also be a 21-month transition
period where doctors, healthcare
providers, and suppliers will be
able to use either their current SSNbased
Medicare Number or their new,
unique Medicare number, to ease the
transition.
Th is initiative takes important steps
towards protecting the identities of people
with Medicare. CMS is also working
with healthcare providers to answer
their questions and ensure that they
have the information they need to
make a successful transition to the new
Medicare number.
For more information, visit www.cms.
gov/newcard.
Courtesy of the Centers for Medicare
and Medicaid Services