Medicare Part D is a Vicious Lie that Keeps Insurance Companies Wealthy at the Expense of the Elderly.
Please note that I am disabled (newly 5 years ago) and am reaching my Medicare age also. And note that I have a master’s degree in public health.
This past year I went with the lowest Part D Prescription coverage available. The reason I did was because my medications come primarily from Costco and it is all cash, so medications are cheaper there than my Medicare D insurance copays.
The mistake was that I had to go on a new and expensive prescription in December, after I made all of my Medicare elections. I was diagnosed with COPD and was given Trelegy. This medication has helped me so much. I had started going to a cardiologist to find out why I was so breathless. He did several studies on me and I have no heart problems. I should have guessed COPD because I am a recovered cigarette addict. I smoked for so many years, it was ridiculous. Of course I was due for lung problems.
My “donut hole” started in July. I’ve been paying 180.00 per month for Trelegy since August. With expensive medications, you need an expensive plan and I had chosen a cheap Medicare D plan (after all, I buy the majority of my medications for cash from Costco).
The Agony of Medicare D
For a couple of reasons, I’ve waited to get my estimates for the new year’s part D coverage and costs. It’s been a rough year. I have all new doctors because of my geographical move. I had to change several medications, partly because of new doctors and partly because my body just couldn’t continue the medication.
Here I am once again looking down this corridor of ridiculous medication prices and impossible conditions that I cannot get away from.
Buying Medications and HealthCare in America Should NOT be a Rip-Off
More than sixty five million Americans are on Medicare. The insurance companies are cheating each and every one of us. They overcharge for premiums for medication and they certainly overcharge the United States enough to provide care (if an Advantage plan) and yet they do not provide care. The insurance companies fight patients to stop health care that they don’t want to pay for. That’s what prior authorization is, a way to stop a patient from getting care, a way to say no. The point is to ensure that insurance is profitable, insurance companies don’t care about patient care. We know this and yet it continues. Original Medicare does NOT require prior authorization, that’s because it’s health care, which is left to health professionals.
I don’t understand how Medicare part D insurance works, but let me tell you that with insurance, I pay MORE for my medications than if I just pay cash at Costco. And the double dealing doesn’t stop there. Read this excerpt from the Medicare website about part D deductibles.
Deductibles per Medicare:
“This is the amount you must pay each year for your prescriptions before your Medicare drug plan pays its share.
Deductibles vary between Medicare drug plans. No Medicare drug plan may have a deductible more than $505 in 2023 ($545 in 2024). Some Medicare drug plans don’t have a deductible. In some plans that do have a deductible, drugs on some tiers are covered before the deductible.”
What I want to know is does the deductible count for anything? Does it count against my annual out-of-pocket expense for my drugs? These deductibles are high! I can’t find anywhere that Medicare addresses this or any practical financial questionnnnnnnnnnn.
Back to Shopping for the Plan
As a Medicare recipient, I am shopping right now for the best plan for me. It’s a long and tedious process – what my daughter calls a “rabbit hole”.
Again, I buy a substantial number of my prescriptions from Costco for cash. Let me show you the difference between buying with a premium drug plan and cash:
With my new drug plan the cost of Baclofen is:
| Baclofen 10mg tablet | $62.26 |
If I pay cash, no Medicare D insurance:
- Baclofen $16.79
- from the Costco Website, drug pricing
| Albuterol sulfate hfa 108 (90 Base)mcg/act aerosol solution | $55.57 |
If I pay cash, no Medicare D insurance:
- Albuterol Sulfate $11.49
- Costco Website
I’m going through the trouble of copy and paste because this happened on 10/26/23! I compared prices and this is what I found.
Why are Americans paying MORE for medications with insurance than without? WHY? Help me understand what kind of back room politics pulled off this deal?
Most of my medications are like this, cheaper with Costco than with insurance. I need the insurance for medications like Trelegy. It’s $500.00 per month and the only way that I can afford it is with insurance. I pay $180.00 per month for Trelegy. Before I got into the donut hole it was $40.00 per month.