Medicare Part D Is Rigged System.

Medicare Part D is rigged.  It is rigged to rip off seniors.

This being the Medicare Annual Enrollment Period, I’m checking my clients’ drug lists and I’m finding so many things I don’t like about Part D drug coverage.

How Medicare Part D is rigged against seniors.

****So many people take generics and yet they must pay a $17 or $22 (or more) plan premium every month so they can get their meds for $2 or $4.  Of course, they could buy most of their meds without insurance for the same price.

****I have a client who buys her meds several ways.  She uses her Part D plan for some drugs.  She uses Good Rx for others. And she buys her insulin at Walmart for $25.  I’ve written about how Walmart charges $25 for the same insulin for which Medicare pays over $100.   https://medicareblog.org/medicare-and-insulin/

****Today I put a lady’s drug list into the Medicare.gov Plan Finder and I was shocked to see the difference in the “full retail price” for two of her meds.

Celecobix:

Full price with First Health Part D:  $93 27.
Full price with Humana Enhanced:  $81.40  (This is her current plan.)
Full price with Wellcare Part D:  $39.14

Duloxetine HCL:

Full price with First Health Part D:  $29.45
Full price with Humana Enhanced:  $16.00
Full price with Wellcare Part D:  $8.28

The law that created Medicare Part D (in 2003) says only insurance companies can negotiate drug prices with pharmaceutical companies.  These examples show how some companies negotiate better than others (I guess).

****Last week I met a woman who buys her inhalers through a mail order pharmacy in India. The cost for Spiriva Handihaler in the U.S. is $1,000 (!!!). She can get a Spiriva substitute from India for $11.00.

 

Her doctor says the Spiriva substitute is working fine for her.

$11.00 vs $1,019.00.  One more piece of evidence that Medicare Part D is rigged to rip off seniors.

****

Check out https://www.goodrx.com/

Check out https://www.alldaychemist.com/