Whaley's Owner and Pharmacist
Darryl Hubble, RPh.

Darryl graduated from the University of Missouri Kansas City School of Pharmacy in 1973.  He jokes that he has a very boring resume as he moved with his wife Connie to Jefferson City and went to work at Whaley’s East End Drug…and has been here ever since!  Now the owner of the Whaley’s Pharmacy chain, he prides himself on running a company that is so customer and community focused.

Quarterly Article by Pharmacist Darryl Hubble, RPh.
Posted: October 28, 2008

It is once again time for enrollment for some or re-enrollment for others in the Medicare D prescription program for seniors.

Fortunately there has been enough exposure now for providers and enrollees to make a more informed choice based on actual experience.

The choices can still be overwhelming when you see the number of plans available, but the principal has become easier to grasp.

Basically individuals that qualify for Medicare D fall in one of possibly 3 categories and depending on their position the choices narrow significantly.

For those that are on Missouri Medicaid, have their medication paid through the Medicare D program and their options are fewer than the rest of the population.  If they are not sure which plan to select they will be auto enrolled in one of the qualifying plans.  In fact if they prefer they do not have to make a choice.  Also they are eligible to change plans more frequently so if the plan they are enrolled in creates issues they can opt to change to a more favorable plan.  The reality however is these plans are chosen by the state because they meet basic criteria so they will not vary much.

For those that already have prescription coverage through insurance they continued from a previous employer, such as the State of Missouri, likely will continue that coverage since it is generally as good as or better than the Medicare D plans.  They can continue for as long as they wish without penalty for not enrolling in Medicare D.  They must however make a selection within a brief time period if they at a later time choose to drop the previous coverage.

The last is the group that has not had any previous coverage for prescriptions and do not qualify financially for Medicaid assistance.
This group is the one that must decide "IF" they will enroll or wait to see if the benefit is worth the additional expense.  The risk of waiting is the increase in premium they will endure by delaying the decision.  For those that currently spend little or no money on medications will actually increase their health care costs.  Deciding to enroll now would be predicting in the future that circumstances will change and the insurance will be beneficial.

If I could give advice it would be to seriously consider the benefit of Medicare D coverage.  The average patient has saved several hundred dollars a year with this new coverage.  Look carefully as to the additional benefit of a separate prescription plan with your current health benefit or combining the two into one plan.  Also understand that the vast number of choices is because there are several options within each company offering.  These can be narrowed simply on a pay me now or pay me later mentality in regard to cost.  Remember that all the plans encourage generics and that is the best way to save the most money and extend your time of coverage and avoid the "donut hole" you will hear much about.