News Alert for mentalhealthpartd.org

On Monday, October 17, CMS released the Plan Finder tool to assist people with Medicare with reviewing their prescription drug plan options. We have tested the tool and wanted to let you know that CMS is aware of several functional problems and continues to refine the site. However, the site can be used to gather basic information.

Below are key things you need to know about the Plan Finder tool.

The plan finder can be found at http://www.medicare.gov/MPDPF/Public/Include/DataSection/Questions/Questions.asp Individuals can conduct a personalized search by entering their Medicare insurance information and zip code. They will need their Medicare claim number found on their Medicare insurance card, a list of their medications, and the doses of the medications. Individuals can also conduct a general search but cannot search for multiple medications with this tool (see formulary finder, below). This involves multiple screens and requires the individual to go to the individual plan formularies to verify information on prior authorization requirements and co-payment tiers.

The formulary finder allows individuals to search available plans by the list of medications the individual is currently using. The direct link to the formulary finder is: http://plancompare.medicare.gov/formularyfinder/selectstate.asp The user may list multiple medications and may view the results according to the exact dosages they take or based on the most common dose as covered by the formulary. The formulary finder gives the user a list of plans, which cover all or some of the medications in the person’s list. The tool also identifies whether those medications have co-payment tiers; and whether the medications require prior authorization or step therapy. Individuals will have to access the specific formulary of a specific plan to get details for the co-payment amounts and prior authorization requirements either by calling the plan or using the plan finder tool above.

To quickly find a list of plans offered in your state/region, use the following link: http://www.medicare.gov/MPDPF/Public/Include/DataSection/Results/ListPlanByState.asp?dest=Nav|Home|State|ListPlanByState#TabTop. This chart contains information about contacting the plan by phone as well as general information about premiums and deductibles.

We will continue to update the site as refinements to the Plan Finder tool are made.