A few weeks ago, I got a call from Dave’s wife who was concerned about a new medications her husband was prescribed.
Dave was recently diagnosed with a serious health condition and it seemed like every few weeks he was given a new medication. As soon as they received the new prescription they would visit their local pharmacist to get it filled and ensure he was taking the new medications as soon as they were prescribed.
At his most recent doctors visit he was prescribed a new high blood medication. It was a low dosage and a 90-day script.
But when he went to the pharmacy to fill a new prescription they found out it would cost $3,000 per month.
Dave and his wife were shocked and confused. Their doctor said it would be expensive but they didn’t expect this.
At that time, they weren’t convinced Dave needed it and weren’t sure if it was worth $3,000 a month. After a brief call to their doctor, they were disappointed when the doctor confirmed it was vital to his health.
Their next option was to see if the pharmacist could figure out if there was a way to get the cost down, and to Dave’s disappointment the pharmacist didn’t have a solution.
When they had no where else to turn, Dave and his wife, turned to us at the Medicare Coach. Having been our client for many years, they hoped that we have seen a similar situation before to help them.
We met with Dave and his wife and started by understanding the medication that was prescribed, the dosage, the frequency and what the actual prescription on it.
With that information, we were able to dig deeper to figure out if there was another way to get his medication filled.
What we were able to find out was that his doctor prescribed him a 90-day prescription and that Medicare wouldn’t cover the 90-day.
But Medicare would cover the 30-day!
All that needed to happen was for the doctor to write a new prescription for the same medication but at different levels to fit into the Part D Medicare plan rules.
In less than an hour we were able to show Dave and his wife an easy way to decrease the price of his medication from $3,000 per month down to a fraction of the price.
Here is the thing, by understanding Medicare rules, we helped Dave save over $20,000 in a 12-month period.
His doctor and pharmacist weren’t able to help because their job isn’t knowing the ins and outs of Medicare rules.
When you are dealing with Medicare it pays to have a Medicare expert helping you through the system and all the rules. Please understand that when it comes to prescriptions in particular, small tweaks can save you money.
At the end of the meeting, Dave and his wife were in tears because we were able to help them, we heard them, we listened to them and we were to go to bat for them.
If you or anyone you know are in a position where you’re paying too much for medications please make sure that you get help.
Medicare’s Open Enrollment is currently underway but ends on December 7th. This is the only time most people can change drug plans to save money. Email us at coach@mymedicarecoach.com to learn about the services we provide to help you find the best Part D drug plan for the upcoming year.
