With her Medicare identification card and medications list in hand, it took Dee Loesche less than an hour to set up her new Medicare Part D drug plan online at Medicare's Web site: Medicare.gov.
"I was at ease with it, but then I've had a lot of experience with computers," said Loesche, who as director of member services for the Wasilla Senior Center helps guide other seniors through the Internet maze.
"I go through the Medicare Web site, show them all the different companies, try to find out what companies handle their meds and let them decide on three different ones," she said. "Then we go through those three to see which is the best one and then they decide."
The Medicare.gov Web site allows seniors to compare the 26 plans available to Alaskans, including deductibles, co-pays, medicines available, and the pharmacies where their drug plans will be honored. "I tell them it's nothing more than any other insurance policy, except that the government pays for part of it," she said.
Once they fill in the blanks on the computer program, seniors get answers about exactly how much each drug will cost under each plan. They can compare all costs and choose the one most economical for them. Still, Loesche said, many opt for the plan offered by the American Association of Retired Persons, "because they are used to the name."
While some area residents are turning to Loesche for help, others, like Margaret Kloep, a resident of the senior housing complex adjacent to the senior center, turn to their children. Kloep said she was visiting in Arizona recently and her daughter, who is a computer research analyst, talked over the various plans with her, then helped sign her up on the Medicare Web site.
"I'm going to be saving about $90 a month on five medicines," said Kloep, who will have a choice of three area pharmacies under her chosen plan. "I'm going to try it."
Her friend and neighbor, Rose Bonnet, who signed up with Medicare on the phone for a different drug plan, said she expects to save about $300 a month on her eight medications, which she will purchase through a local pharmacy.
Getting signed up on the phone took a lot longer than signing up online, she said.
It took four weeks of calling and calling and calling before, finally, at 5 a.m. one morning, she found the right person to guide her through the sign-up process, she said.
"I was in the process of renewing all the pills, and I didn't want to get them filled until I got the new plan," she said. The plan she chose will cover seven of her medications, and for the eighth one, which is not covered by the plan, she will use a discount card provided by her secondary insurance carrier, she said.
Other senior center members, like Emmajean Husa and Pat Park Fisher, said they have no need for Medicare Part D.
"My husband works for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers," Husa said. After listening to a talk at a union meeting, Husa said they and others in the union decided to stick with what they had. "We're better off with our plan," she said.
Fisher, on the other hand, is a retired state of Alaska employee and very happy with the full coverage she receives as a Tier 1 retiree. "I feel very fortunate," said Fisher, who was formerly employed by the Alaska Department of Commerce and Economic Development in Juneau. Not yet old enough for Medicare, Fisher said when she does become eligible; her state coverage will become her secondary health insurance.
Given the number of retired government and military employees in Alaska, many retirees may find their coverage is comparable or better than any plan they could purchase under Medicare Part D.
To help them figure out the best plan, there are several dozen Medicare-trained volunteers throughout Alaska. A list of the volunteers is available through the state Department of Health and social services SeniorCare Information Office.
For qualified seniors, Alaska's SeniorCare will augment the new Medicare prescription drug plan by covering Medicare prescription drug plan premiums and deductibles.
The subsidy is available for seniors with yearly incomes of less than $20,913 for individuals, or $28,053 for couples, with liquid assets of up to $50,000 for an individual and $100,000 for a couple. SeniorCare cash assistance of $120 a month will continue for seniors who meet income and asset guidelines, state officials said.
Seniors with yearly incomes of less than $16,133 for individuals, or $21,641 for couples, are eligible to receive the SeniorCare $120 monthly cash assistance, with liquid assets of up to $6,000 for an individual and $9,000 for a couple, state officials said. Further information is available from the SeniorCare Information Office at 1-800-478-6065 within Alaska or in Anchorage at (907) 269-3680.
Margaret Bauman can be reached at margie.bauman@alaskajournal.com.
