November 2008
Choose wisely to begin with
There's another important strategy to avoid the doughnut hole: Lower your drug expenses from the start. Talk with your doctor
about taking or switching to lower-cost medicines. That might mean switching from some expensive brand-name drugs to generics.
But that strategy could save enough to protect you from the doughnut hole in 2009. In that case, you won't need a more expensive
Part D plan with added coverage.
In a new analysis by the Consumer Reports Best Buy Drugs team, for example, Part D enrollees who need to take medicines in 2009 for high cholesterol, high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, or arthritis (or for a combination of those ailments) stand to save between a few hundred dollars and more than $5,000 per year by switching to lower-cost medicines. The study looked at more than 250 Part D plans in six cities (by ZIP code) using Medicare's plan-finder tool.
For example, a senior with diabetes in Phoenix could save from $497 (lowest-cost plan) to $737 (highest-cost plan) by switching from the brand-name drug Januvia to another drug, the generic metformin. Likewise, someone with chronic arthritis in Atlanta who had been taking just one drug—the brand-name Celebrex—and switched to generic ibuprofen could save from $555 to more than $1,500.
Shopping wisely for drugs will save you money, too. That might mean buying drugs online or through mail order, comparing prices at local pharmacies and discount stores, and getting 90-day supplies of any medicines you take on a regular basis. Many people are reluctant to buy online or by mail order, but both practices are perfectly safe once you learn how to do it.
If you prefer to get your drugs from the local pharmacy, be aware that even in a single town or city, prices can vary from pharmacy to pharmacy by up to 50 percent, although your co-pay share might be set. Fortunately, some large ("big box") discount stores are competing more aggressively with pharmacy chains, including offering discount programs that price most generics for as little as $4 for a 30-day supply.
In a new analysis by the Consumer Reports Best Buy Drugs team, for example, Part D enrollees who need to take medicines in 2009 for high cholesterol, high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, or arthritis (or for a combination of those ailments) stand to save between a few hundred dollars and more than $5,000 per year by switching to lower-cost medicines. The study looked at more than 250 Part D plans in six cities (by ZIP code) using Medicare's plan-finder tool.
For example, a senior with diabetes in Phoenix could save from $497 (lowest-cost plan) to $737 (highest-cost plan) by switching from the brand-name drug Januvia to another drug, the generic metformin. Likewise, someone with chronic arthritis in Atlanta who had been taking just one drug—the brand-name Celebrex—and switched to generic ibuprofen could save from $555 to more than $1,500.
Shopping wisely for drugs will save you money, too. That might mean buying drugs online or through mail order, comparing prices at local pharmacies and discount stores, and getting 90-day supplies of any medicines you take on a regular basis. Many people are reluctant to buy online or by mail order, but both practices are perfectly safe once you learn how to do it.
If you prefer to get your drugs from the local pharmacy, be aware that even in a single town or city, prices can vary from pharmacy to pharmacy by up to 50 percent, although your co-pay share might be set. Fortunately, some large ("big box") discount stores are competing more aggressively with pharmacy chains, including offering discount programs that price most generics for as little as $4 for a 30-day supply.
