Compare Medicare Part D Plans Against Your Medication List

Medicare Part D plans price the same prescriptions very differently, and the cheapest premium is often not the cheapest year. A muse can take your full medication list, compare the cost and coverage of the Part D plans open to you, and hand back a short fact sheet with the best two options and the yearly total for each.

What it does

You give the muse the names and doses of every prescription you take. It works through the Part D plans available in your area and adds up what each plan would cost over a full year: the monthly premium, the deductible, and your share for every drug on your list at the pharmacy you use. The result shows the yearly total for each plan side by side, so the difference is easy to see. A plan you never heard of can be the cheapest year by a wide margin. By hand, the same math means a calculator, a lookup for every drug on every plan, and an afternoon. The muse does the adding, you make the choice.

How to use it

1. Write out your full medication list: name, dose, and how often you take each one. A drug left off the list is a cost the comparison will miss.
2. Tell the muse your ZIP code and the pharmacy you prefer, since plan prices and pharmacy networks differ by area.
3. Ask for a full year total for each plan, not just the premium: "Add the premium, the deductible, and my share for all my drugs, and show the yearly total for each plan."
4. Ask for the best two plans with the math shown, so you can see where the difference comes from.
5. Before you enroll, check the winning plan on the official Medicare plan finder, or with your pharmacist, and confirm every drug on your list is covered.

What you need

• The muse app
• Your complete prescription list, with doses
• Your ZIP code and preferred pharmacy

What to watch for

• Formularies change every year, so run this comparison again each open enrollment period instead of letting a plan roll over.
• A low premium can hide high drug costs. Judge plans on the full year total for your actual medications, never on the premium alone.
• Check the figures before you act. Plan prices and coverage rules are public, and the winning plan should match what the official plan finder shows for the same drug list.
• The muse compares and adds up, you decide which plan to enroll in.