North Carolina Medicare Part D

Medicare Part D was introduced in North Carolina January 1st of 2006. This was designed so that those with Medicare could get their prescription medications covered under the Medicare guidelines instead of Medicaid. There are some different prescription drug plans that are offered under the Medicare Part D program.

It is important to read the information on each type of Medicare Part D plan carefully. The coverage of various prescription drugs differs as does the cost the person is responsible for. There are co-pays, deductibles, and even monthly premiums that may apply. If you don’t understand the differences in the Medicare Part D coverage make sure you seek assistance from your case manager.

Each North Carolina resident who is approved for the coverage needs to choose one of them within a specified period of time. Failure to do so will result in one of the plans being automatically assigned. Once a Part D prescription plan is in place for a Medicare recipient it can’t be changed except during the window that is from November 15th through December 31st. This is the only time such changes can be made by anyone with Medicare Part D.

Those individuals in North Carolina who are eligible for Medicare need to sign up for the Part D at the same time. They do have the option of signing up later but it can result in them having to pay a portion of the costs or a penalty. Your case manager should go over the information for Medicare Part D for you at the time that you submit an application for Medicare. However it is important to know about it in case no one discusses it with you.

Even if you have other coverage for your prescriptions you should sign up for the Part D. This way if you your other coverage ends you have it in place. It can also come in handy if the other coverage won’t cover specific medications that you need.

Many elderly find that they need prescription medications either to cover an illness or to help them recover from an injury. It is not uncommon for them to need ongoing medications for diseases such as high blood pressure or diabetes. Paying for ongoing prescription medications can be very difficult when you are on a fixed income. With Medicare Part D to help pay for prescriptions though more elderly people will be able to obtain what they need to stay as healthy as possible.