Medicare Queries Expected To Increase Over Time

The long awaited Medicare prescription drug benefit plan (Rite Aid) was at last implemented in areas close to Long Island and New York City yesterday. This brought in mixed feelings of anxiety and joy regarding the concept. "There's a lot of confusion about insurance, period, this is just going to add to it," said Greg Jackson, at Rite Aid on West 109th Street in Manhattan.

A very small number of customers actually approached pharmacists on New Year day. However, following implementation, a lot of customers are expected to rush to their nearest pharmacist to enquire about the new plan. Infact, a few pharmacies have even called for additional pharmacists. "We're expecting a lot of people to deal with this today," said Andrew Cacciapaglia, a pharmaceutical technician at Eckerd in Bellmore.

Recipients of Medicaid would be enrolled into the program automatically. For other, it would be based to their own personal interest. Individuals with either Medicare Part A or Part B, that comprises of hospital and medical coverage would also be eligible.

Although some initial confusions may prevail regarding choosing the optimum plan, it would turn out be of great help to its recipients according to medical experts. This also turns out be the most frequently asked question by consumers.

It would not be a good option to ask your pharmacist regarding the choice of a specific plan, as they are not authorized to provide the service. It is therefore recommended that consumers directly login to the Medicare website and find out how much each plan would cost by directly entering their medication details.

The new plan comprises of 47 different options to choose from and is designed as follows. Those who participate, start with a premium and a $250 deductible, then pay 25 percent of the cost of drugs up to $2,250. Drug costs between $2,250 and $5,100 must be paid entirely by the user. Beyond that, however, the plan picks up 95 percent.