Humana Medicare Part D Plans
Considering a Humana Medicare Part D plan?
If you are thinking that choosing a Humana Part D plan is a good idea you are not alone. Humana Part D drug coverage has been one of the most popular prescription drug programs for Medicare beneficiaries. You are able to get Humana Part D benefits two ways.
The first option is to buy stand-alone Part D coverage. This option is popular with people who believe that original Medicare is good enough but realize that they should have protection against the high costs of prescription drugs. Buying stand-alone Part D coverage is also a good choice when purchasing a Medigap policy.
Medigap, also known as Medicare supplemental insurance does not include Part D coverage and must be purchased separately. You do not need to purchase a Humana Medicare supplement to have a Humana Medicare Part D plan. Since supplements do not include Part D many companies that sell supplements do not offer Part D plans. For example, Mutual of Omaha is one of the largest providers of Medigap, but does not sell a Part D plan.
The second way to have access to Humana Part D drug plans is to enroll in a Humana Medicare Advantage plan that includes Part D coverage. This is a popular option for those people who want to have all of their Medicare benefits administered by one company.
Humana Medicare Advantage Plan Options
Points to consider when comparing Medicare Part D plans
Medicare Part D plans are offered by many private insurance companies that are approved by and contracted with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Many aspects of part D plans are the same because of the CMS guidelines. Guidelines are applied to:
- Part D enrollment periods
- Maximum deductible amount
- Initial amount of coverage
- Maximum out-of-pocket expense
- Minimum co-pay for catastrophic portion of benefit
When comparing Part D plans you need to consider several points, including:
- Are your prescription drugs included in the formulary?
- How do co-pays compare to other plans?
- Do any of your drugs fall into a higher tier with one company over another?
- Will you pharmacy accept the plan and are mail order benefits similar?
- Will you have any benefits in the coverage gap, such as the availability of generics?
- Are you required to pay an annual deductible?
- What is the monthly premium?
Many people choose a Medicare Part D plan based on price and whether their drugs are included in the plan’s formulary, but there is a lot more to consider.
Changes for 2012 Part D enrollment
There are some significantchanges for 2012 Part D enrollment, whether you are comparing Humana Part D plans or another carrier’s plans. The most important change has to do with enrollment periods.
- The Annual Enrollment Period (AEP) will begin October 15, 2011 and end December 7, 2011. Remember the Open Enrollment Period (OEP) no longer exists. There will be a dis-enrollment Period for Medicare Advantage plan members who want to return to original Medicare. They will be able to do so beginning January 1 through February 14 and purchase a stand-alone Medicare Part D plan.
- Companies will only be able to offer three Part D plans and must include a meaningful difference between the plans. CMS determined that many companies were offering plan without meaningful difference. Meaningful difference is measured by the members out-of-pocket cost share for a particular plan.
Comparing Humana Medicare Part D plans with other Part D plans is easiest done online. Whether you visit the Medicare site and navigate your way to the relevant data, or you shop online to compare plans, you can save time over meeting with countless insurance agents. Armed with a little knowledge, you can be sure to enroll in the best Medicare Part D plan for your needs.
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Comments
Eleanor, This website is not owned or operated by Humana or any other insurance company that offers Medicare Part D plans. As such I do not list the formularies from the hundreds of Part D plans that are available in the US. I’ve searched the Humana website and found only the formulary for the Humana Walmart-Preferred RX Plan. Humana also offers Humana Standard PDP, Humana Enhanced PDP and Humana Complete PDP for 2011.
The Humana website does not include a feature to search the site to find the formularies for the other Humana Part D plans. You may want to contact Human directly to get the information you are looking for. Also, I mention on this site repeatedly that the formulary is key to finding the best 2011 Part D plan for your needs because I have experienced many people making the decision on price alone, which is never the best solution.
David
I am working with a Humana sales representative in Naples, FL with the first name Kelly. I need to contact her but can’t recall her last name or contact information.
I would appreciate it very much if you could provide her full name and contact information.
Keith, I’m sorry I don’t have the information you are looking for. Visit http://www.humana.com to find contact info for Humana Medicare and address your question to them. If there are multiple agents named Kelly in Naples FL you may need to wait until she follows up with you. If you have had regular communications with this agent and she doesn’t follow up you may want to find another agent.
David
You have many ways of signing up for multiple plans, but how do I get out of it? I can’t find information on how to cancel. It seems you signed me up for another year without consulting me. I want out.
June, This website is not owned or operated by Humana Medicare. But I think I can help you. If you are enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan or Part D plan, your provider will automatically enroll you in the next years plan. In this case I’m assuming that Humana has automatically enrolled you in their 2011 Part D plan. When you enroll in a new plan with a different company during the enrollment period which ends December 31, Medicare will automatically be notified and they will notify Humana that you have changed plans and opted out of their plan. You can enroll in more than one plan during this enrollment period, but…. the last plan you enroll in is the one that will become effective on January 1, 2011.
I enrolled in your program part D several weeks ago and I do not have a card or number as of yet. Will that be here soon
Peggy, This site is not owned or operated by Humana Medicare but if you enrolled several weeks ago you may want to follow up with the agent or Humana’s customer service department just to be on the safe side.
Hello, I enrolled in the Humana wal-mart drug plan in Dec.2010 but I want to cancel my enrollment right now and not enroll in another part D plan. How would I do this? Any assitance would be appreciated.
Brian, Once you join a Part D plan you are generally locked-in for the remainder of the year. You could contact Humana and state your dis-satisfaction with the Humana Walmart Preferred Part D plan and ask to be dis-enrolled, but they are under no obligation to do so. You could stop paying your premium but they may continue your coverage and try to collect.
I’m not sure what your reasons are for wanting to cancel, but if you are willing to go without coverage and you can’t get out of your current plan, suck it up and pay the $14.80 per month for the remainder of the year. And… do a better job of researching plans for 2012. Personally, I think you would be foolish to go without coverage. Even if you don’t have a huge need for coverage now or what you do need is affordable, we can’t predict the future. It’s called insurance for a reason. Sorry, I know that’s not the answer you are looking for.
I am enrolled in the Humana enhanced part D program and this will be my 5th year.
The 2010 health care bill states that those reaching the coverage gap in 2011 will receive a 50% discount on drugs but my monthly summary from Humana states that the coverage gap which they refer to as stage 2 requires 100% contribution from me. Can you explain this?
Ron, The price of brand name drugs will be reduced 50% per the health care reform but you will be paying 100% of the cost while in the coverage gap. The cost being 50% lower than if health care reform were not law. Think of it this way…. if one glass is full of water and another is half full the amount of water in each glass still equals 100% of the water in the glass. Bottom line.. you will save money.
I have used Pulmicort for years and it was always covered by Humana Part D. This week my pharmist told me Humana no longer covered Pulmicort. Is this true? Why wasn’t I informed by Humana? What similar drug should I discuss with my physician that is covered by Humana for asthma? I’m 89 years old and it is difficult to negotiate through the plan to see how to get the coverage I need. Please help.
Louise, I’m sorry to hear about your situation with Humana. It sounds as though your doctor (in consultation with a pharmacist knowledgeable with the formulary) is really the person to help you with this situation.
Several places in this website, you say that knowing what medicines are available is the most important thing. I have clicked on all the “formulary” choices I had & NONE of them said what medications are available. I need to know what medications are offered before I go any further. I will look forward to hearing from you asap because I am about to sign on with another company.