Yet I will be having my whole shoulder replaced, or whatever that entails. So I have settled for the fact I will have to take something. I just want to be prepared, insurance wise.
This is what they will be replacing.
Posted on 12/30/2023 10:03:55 AM PST by OneVike
I need some advice.
I am 67 years old and in a little over a Month I will be having my right shoulder replaced. I am actively enrolled in Medical-Care for health care, but not in any prescription policies. However, I need to figure out which prescription policy would be best for me before I have the surgery.
As of right now I have no current prescriptions for anything. Until I began having shoulder problems I have not even seen a general practitioner for over 10 years. Other than my shoulder problem I am healthy as an ox, or at least as healthy as an aging ox. The last time I got sick was with COVID in early 2020, and that lasted maybe two weeks and I have not been sick since.
NO, I have not been vaccinated since I was in the army almost 50 years ago., and I would rather die than allow any doctor inject any modern vaccination into my system.
Anyone have any suggestions as to what prescription plan would be best for me? Because after my surgery I know I will have to have at least pain medication if not antibiotics or anti rejection drugs.
I am guessing on what I will be told to take after the surgery, since I am clueless.
The supplemental pays the Medicare copay.
Most people should take a serious look at their assets and consider a trust to avoid the 5 year Medicaid lookback that takes their pension, social security, bank and pension accounts, and their home.
If you have no spouse or children, you are screwed.
We have Aetna’s “Silver Script” drug plan. It seems to work pretty well. ALSO get one of the “GOODRX” clones or GRX itself. It makes a nice difference. All druggists seem to have their own unique rules — you may have to shop aorund a bit for a supplier locally that will work best for you.
I’m confused. Are you on Medicare? Do you have Medicare B and a supplemental?
If so, I would recommend getting Part D. Aetna (owned by CVS) is good. You would have been better off it you had done this during open enrollment. Don’t know what’s involved at this point. Here’s a link you can snoop:
https://www.aetnamedicare.com/en/compare-plans-enroll/part-d-prescription-drug-plans.html
Medicare’s open enrollment period for Part D (outside drugs) and supplemental policies ended Dec 7th. You need to get in touch with a Medicare Guide big-time so this doesn’t happen again.
Dont get any. Just get your drugs from Canada. Canada Phamacy King. They even have real english speaking. people answering the phone. Drug prices are about a sixth of the amount you will pay in the US.
Hmm, I did contact AMAC, and they are supposed to get back in touch with me. Maybe they can help.
Unless there are extenuating circumstances, you probably do not need prescription coverage. Pain killers like hydrocodone and oxycodone are very cheap.
I had rotator cuff surgery just over a year ago and used a few (20?) oxycodone for the first week or so. That was it. They probably cost around $20 - do not remember exactly how much/how many/what strength. We are on Medicare (UHC supplemental) and do not have prescription coverage.
I believe so, but to be honest what I know is I have health coverage via medicare with no drug coverage, and no supplemental, just what they issued me and take out of my SS check
Our supplemental plan to Medicare would not pay out for anything that Medicare denied. We got far less in reimbursements from them than the premium we were paying. We switched over toa good Medicare Advantage plan for our area.
For prescriptions, we used Good Rx and Good Rx Gold and they were better than what Medicare had to offer.
Some drug companies has financial assistance programs for people who meet the qualifications based on income. Those are often worth checking out.
We’re getting assistance from two that has helped my prescription costs immensely.
“The prescription drugs can have side effects as serious, if not more so, than the vaccines.’
The adverse effects of Rx drugs tend to be well understood and, in most cases, disappear once the drug is discontinued. Can’t do that once you’ve received a vaccine. (I am not generally anti-vaccine, just having received the complement for over-60s, but am mindful of the risks).
Drug plans are good if you have a chronic condition and are taking a lot of drugs. If you are healthy it may be much cheaper to go without a drug plan. Ask your surgeon what pain meds he will prescribe, the dose and the quantity. If you pay cash it will be less than half what many drug stores chains will charge for the same drugs.
Check out Amazon, Costco, or Walmart. Also grocery stores like Krogers can be even cheaper. Sometimes their prices are less than the co-pay. Be careful of CVS. They say they accept GoodRX and SingleCare but then raise the price.
Your surgeon should be able to advise you on both short-term and long term medications. Considering the recent lawsuits, etc., I doubt you’ll be on pain killer long term. They very addictive to some.
Your surgeon will be a better source of information on what prescriptions you will need. Once you have the listing, contact various insurers and see what they can offer. I doubt you’ll find much variation.
I’ve found Humana to be a trustworthy provider. I’m military retired so I have Tricare for Life for my prescriptions. I’ve contacted Humana twice about their Advantage plans only to be told that with Medicare and Tricare, there’s no reason to buy one of their plans.
The pain killers are relatively cheap. I think my hand surgery, I spent less than $10 on them. Of course, as I said before, I like to be off them withing two days of the surgery. Your pain threshold may vary.
Yeah, the Canadian pharmacies will be happy to ship him fentanyl patches and anti-rejection drugs /s
Thanks
I turned 65 in October.
I had four months (now one) to pick Part D plan without risking a future premium penalty surcharge.
I think I might go with either Aetna or Cigna.
The co-insurance thing is nonsense - a percentage of what?
On the other hand, my share of the cost would be about $15/month. Part D coverage costs Uncle Sam about $2000/year/beneficiary.
Thanks
I have United healthcare I buy my (7 drugs, 3 month supply,) Maintenance prescriptions at,
www.scriptco.com
Even with the $140.00 subscription I’m saving $400.00 /year copay. They have a useful search tool to compare.
No narcotics, Ambien , etc.
You also get 4 yearly free delivery by USPS.
Thanks
For Medicare Part D (prescription) or a Medicare Advantage plan, you will pay a late enrollment penalty if you did not have any prescription coverage in the preceding 63 days.
Some prescriptions are cheaper using goodrx than prescription insurance.
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