Pat,

I am on medicare because I am considered disabled because I can't hold down a job with all the anxiety attacks & depression that I started having problems with in 1994. Then after going through the trauma last year with the ID theft & my Mothers death, it knocked me off the ledge I had landed on for a few years. I went on medicare when I was 41 & have been on it every since. As for medicad, I am not sure about that (if is something like medical here in California) that has been the program that paid for those people on medicare without enough income & qualify that way. Unfortunately I have been living off of my IRA money so was considered to have income.

Another great part for me is that my pharmacy wasn't part of those that the insurance company worked with, but as soon as I got my acceptance information, I took in the paper showing them the information & they immediately joined the approved pharmacy list. That was a major issue for me because I require a huge amount of Fentynal every month. I was what before was considered a triplicate medication monitored closely by the DEA. Most of the other pharmacies I would go to didn't cary it & couldn't get it. What a relief to be able to continue going to the same pharmacy.

I guess it is ok to give out this information generally rather than PM (not always sure). It is called Prescription Pathway (medicare Prescription Drug Plans). There are several insurance companies have Prescription Drug plans that are approved by Medicare. They take your information & have to approve you first, then they send on your application to Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) (the federal agency that runs the Medicare program that approves all enrollments).

I think from what I have seen is that the people who qualified for the Medicaid through medicare were automatically enrolled in Medicare part D. Part D doesn't cover many of the meds at all when you get down to looking into what they cover. You can always find another prescription coverage & drop the part D & join the other coverage. In order to save money, it is important to get enrolled before the timeline that medicare has set up for the drug coverage enrollment even with these programs....the monthly costs go up after that date. I also found out that even if you move to another state after enrolling it won't cost you the higher rate when you move your enrollment to another state.

This is about all I think I know about this prescription stuff...sure they will be able to give you much more information that I can......but it is important to know that Medicare has set the final date for enrollment at their first lower cost, then after that, it will cost more just like the Medicare Part D

Hope this may help some of you save more money & find a coverage that covers the drugs you use. I know I was so angry to find out that with medicare D they wouldn't cover my massivly expensive med....(what good are they anyway),
Debbie