Pick a Card!#?$!
For sleep problems: Ambien (5 mg)
For congestive heart failure: Lanoxin (0.125 mg)
For water retention: hydrochlorothiazide (12.5 mg)
Mom told me she typically pays $453.96 per month for these medications, after her 10 percent senior citizen discount at the local pharmacy. She told me her monthly income and the amount in her savings account, so I could check whether she'd qualify for the $600 credit available to low-income seniors. I was set.
Call 800-MEDICARE
At 9:45 a.m. last Monday, I first called 800-MEDICARE. (Very) long story short: The automated voice system tells me there is an unusually high volume of calls and to try again later. Suggested times: before 6 a.m. (!) or after 6 p.m. Then I'm disconnected. I would try six more times that day -- the last call at close to midnight -- with no better luck.
Go to www.Medicare.gov
Fine. I'll just go to the Web site. At Medicare.gov, the first thing I see is, "Find available Medicare-approved drug discount cards, and compare prices for your prescriptions." Perfect.
I click through and answer eight quick questions about Mom's income, assets, etc. Then I continue on to the next page, where I'm asked to select the drugs Mom needs.
Six of Nine Drugs Aren't Listed!
Ambien, hydrochlorothiazide and methazolamide are missing from the Medicare list. How strange.
Maybe they're listed under different names? I don't see any help on the Medicare site for this, so I jump over to www.drugstore.com, where I'm able to quickly find all nine drugs. (I'm definitely spelling them right. I do this for a living.) I find possible names that the drugs might be listed under. Then back to Medicare.gov.
But no, the drugs aren't listed under these other names, either. I try calling 800-MEDICARE again, thinking maybe someone can help me. It's still tied up.
Okay, fine. If Mom can get discounts on even six of the nine drugs, that's some help, right? I click "continue" on the Medicare site.
The next page tells me Mom's not eligible for the $600 assistance. Fine. The page also lists 40 plans that are available in Mom's Zip code. I click the "Compare Prices" button.
Arrrrggghhh! For another three of the drugs -- Serevent, Lanoxin and albuterol -- I get a message saying, "Your selected drug was not found." Oh, come on. I'm not that familiar with Serevent and Lanoxin, but just about every asthmatic I know uses albuterol. How can this drug not be available?
I return to drugstore.com in search of other names these drugs might be listed under. I try all possibilities at Medicare.gov. Nada.
© 2004 The Washington Post Company
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Line Busy? Others Can Help
Got questions about Medicare prescription card choices? Can't get through on 800-MEDICARE? Other state and local agencies are gearing up to help. (State offices will give you the number for a local counseling center.)
As of last week, counseling appointments at these agencies were available with little or no wait. However, some agencies require consumers to first provide prescription information (either by phone or on a form that must be completed and mailed back) before making an appointment. Seniors for whom that's a problem -- those, for example, who can't read the small print on their prescription bottles -- should let advisers know by phone.
Also worth noting: Counselors will be using the Medicare.gov Web site as their primary information source. Given some of the glitches discovered on the site, it may make sense to wait a few weeks to allow for cleanup before making an appointment.
• In the District: Health Insurance Counseling Project, 202-739-0668, TTY: 202-973-1079; provided through the George Washington University Law School.
• In Maryland: Senior Health Insurance Assistance Program, 410-767-1100 or 800-AGE-DIAL (800-243-3425), TTY: 410-767-1083.
• In Virginia: Health Insurance Counseling and Assistance Project, 804-662-9333 or 800-552-3402, TTY: 804-662-9333 or 800-552-3402.
-- Lisa Barrett Mann
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