Medicare part D — The Insanity, notes Terry!
Total yearly drug cost vs estimated total drug + premium cost
My Part D premium is $0, with minimal charge for one drug.
However, if I scroll down there is a dollar amount for each drug per month and an estimated total drug + premium cost. Is this premium cost new for 2025?
I don’t remember this in the past.
Thank you!
Terry Says
I know how confusing this can be. Are you using the search tool at Medicare.gov for Part D plans in your zipcode?
If so, first make sure all your drugs are covered. And your preferred pharmacies are included.
For 2025, the maximum deductible is $590. But not all plans charge a deductible!
Then realize that not ALL prescriptions must meet the deductible. Typically Tier 1 (generics) do not have a deductible. But Tiers 3, 4, and 5 will charge a deductible in most plans.
(And that deductible works the same way, whether you have Part D or are getting coverage through an Advantage plan!)
That’s why you have to do comparisons at Medicare.gov, after you input your prescriptions.
Now, here’s something amazing (to me –and it happened to me!) If you take only one or two Tier 1 generic drugs, you can actually be shown a plan with ZERO premiums and ZERO cost for your drugs (despite a high deductible on the plan). How can that happen, I wondered.
Well, you could choose a Part D plan with a higher monthly premium and a small payment for your drugs. And the ONLY reason to do that is just in case you get new prescriptions during the year, you might find them covered. BUT since the maximum out-of-pocket is $2,000 in 2025, why pay for a more expansive plan “just in case” you get a new prescription?!
And finally, there is a possibility that SOME of your prescriptions might not be covered at all, so you’ll have to pay cash — and maybe get a discount with a plan such as the GoodRX card! Those with many prescriptions need to do a lot of comparisons to pick the plan that covers “most” of your drugs, and the same pharmacy, with the least cost!
Yes, it’s insane!!
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