Health Care Reform:

FAQs on Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage

Medicare offers insurance coverage for prescription drugs for all people with Medicare. You may sometimes hear this coverage referred to as "Part D." This coverage is designed to help you save money on your prescription costs. It will pay for some, but not all, of your prescription drugs.

FAQs for People on Medicare and Medicaid (dual eligibles)

If My Prescription Drugs Are Covered by Medicaid, Does This Affect Me?

One of the major changes under the law that created the Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit/Medicare Part D is that people who have both Medicare and Medicaid will receive their prescription drug coverage through Medicare, rather than their state Medicaid program.

As of mid-2013, dual eligibles will have the option of signing up for ''demonstration plans'' or Medicare-Medicaid plans that will include all Medicare and Medicaid benefits, including drug coverage, in one package.

Do I Need to Sign Up for the Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage or for Extra Help?

If you have both Medicare and Medicaid, you should automatically receive the Extra Help for people with limited incomes and resources available through the new Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit. You do not need to apply for it.

However, the plan Medicare assigns you to will be chosen at random. It may not be the plan that best meets your needs. So, your best bet is to do your homework and make an informed choice about which plan is right for you.

What If I Don't Like the Plan to Which I Am Assigned?

If you don't like the plan to which Medicare assigns you, you can change as often as once a month.