Walmart Drug Program Medicare
Shop for Medicare Information Overview at Walmart.com. The Humana Walmart-Preferred Rx Plan. National Medicare Part D program with Humana two years. A stand-alone prescription drug plan with a Medicare contract. Annual enrollment for 2013 Medicare plans runs from Oct. 15, 2012 – Dec. For more information on the Humana Walmart-Preferred Rx Plan (PDP), please visit. Humana Walmart Prescription Rx Plan – Part D. However, if you are enrolled in a Medicare drug plan. Drug program. Does the program.
WASHINGTON — Consumer alert: A new drug plan with the lowest upfront cost in the country may not be for everyone, experts say. Medicare's open enrollment season just started, and the plan from insurer Humana and retail giant is getting attention. At $14.80, the monthly premium is the lowest of any national plan, about half the average. And Humana and Walmart are advertising savings of more than $450 a year for the typical Medicare recipient. But experts say if you can't get to a Walmart easily and need costly, cutting-edge medications, it could be a disappointment. You could face copayments as high as 50 percent for drugs purchased at local independent drugstores, 'non-preferred' pharmacies as far as the plan goes.
Plan members can choose to fill their prescriptions at more than 60,000 pharmacies nationwide, but only about 4,000 — Walmart, or Neighborhood Market stores — are 'preferred,' and offer the lowest copayments. Hoadley, who in an earlier government career helped lay the groundwork for the Medicare drug benefit, said he believes regulators should take a second look at the network.
Residents of metro areas, for example, may have to drive miles to find a preferred drugstore. Consumer advocates say that's unusual. Representing both companies, Humana spokesman said Medicare officials undertook a 'rigorous review' of the plan before approving it and concluded it met or exceeded the government's consumer protection standards. 'Overall, the Humana Walmart plan is an innovative solution in a competitive market,' said Noland. 'It is one of more than 1,000 Medicare (prescription) options available to eligible participants nationwide.' Seniors can avoid higher copayments and trekking to the pharmacy by using the plan's mail-order service, he noted.
About 27 million seniors and disabled people are signed up for the Medicare prescription benefit, offered through private insurance companies. There may be more plan-switching than usual this year, because about 3 million recipients will see their current plan discontinued in 2011 under a reorganization. Government officials say all but 300,000 are being seamlessly switched to another plan offered by the same insurer. But many are facing higher premiums that could prompt them to shop around.
At the, seniors are calling the consumer hotline with questions about the Walmart plan. Change Routeros Software Id Lezer. 'They are asking why it is so much cheaper,' said, president of the -based advocacy group. Static Ip Changer Programme more. 'One reason is this limited pharmacy network, and that's one thing they should think carefully about.'
Seniors and family members using Medicare's online Plan Finder to see if the Humana Walmart plan is a good deal need to remember to enter their drugstore as well as their medications, said Hoadley. Otherwise, the Plan Finder will compute costs based on prices at a preferred pharmacy, which could be considerably lower than what consumers would face locally.
Isecsoft Anti-trojan Elite V4 6 0 Multilingual Winall Cracked-crd. 'For many people, there are probably plans with higher premiums that are a better deal, because their drug is included, and their pharmacy is included, and they face fewer restrictions,' said, a senior policy analyst with the in Washington. The loudest complaints are coming from local pharmacists, who see the Humana Walmart plan as unfair competition. The says it violates the 'spirit and intent' of Medicare rules. 'It's kind of like a beginning of a race to the bottom,' said, a pharmacist turned lobbyist for the group. Medicare 'is sending a signal to other plans that severe restrictions on covered drugs and severe restrictions on access to pharmacies are acceptable. And we think that will put us on a slippery slope to a lower-quality pharmacy benefit.'
The pharmacists also say the plan either does not cover many of the drugs most commonly used by seniors, or charges a higher copayment. Humana spokesman Noland disputes that, saying that the plan's list is 'comprehensive and robust.' Medicare's analysis found that the number of drugs covered exceeds the average for all prescription plans, said spokesman. But the list of preferred pharmacies is limited.