Medicare Part D does cover Gleevec

[Guest guest]

> Hi,

> I am glad you are covered now. I live in NV. Can you tell me how you got a

cancer plan? Although I guess it is too late now, pre-existing and all. I

qualify for Medicare in April 2011. I am on Cobra now as I had to go on perm.

med. disability. I am so scared as Gleevec is not covered by Medicare.

_______________________

Basic Medicare and your supplement does not cover Rx (unless you do an Advantage

Plan) but then you pick a Medicare Part D for drug coverage. You pay a separate

premium for this, but it is usually small.

The problem with Medicare Part D is that it has what they call the 'donut hole'

when you pay the full drug cost, but for us this is usually a single

month.....and eventually the plan pays 95% of the drug cost.

On most of our drugs, this means that you will pay a total of about $6,000 per

year for your drug on Medicare Part D.

Closing the donut hole is one of the things that the Pharmacy industry has

discussed (?promised) Pres. Obama.....so this would save a big amount, something

like $3500 a year.

If you cannot afford the cost of drugs with Medicare, there is a special

Medicare section that you might qualify for, based on income. And if you total

income is low, you might still get drug assistance from the drug company.

C.

[Guest guest]

You are correct about Part D paying for Gleevec and about the donut hole!

Before Part D, Gleevec was covered in Part B as a cancer medication

necessary to sustain the life of the patient. In the infinite wisdom of

those who wrote Part D, Part B was amended to only cover medications that

must be injected! Pills don't count... too bad, you loose.

We are all holding our breath about Health Care reform. Of course no one yet

knows what the final product will look like. There are several versions out

there and whatever the House passes will have to be reconciled with whatever

the Senate passes. Big Pharma and the health care industry have a vested,

big bucks, interest in the outcome and are trying very hard to get congress

to do it their way or no way at all. I am sure that, in the end, there will

be parts I love and parts I love not-so-much, that's just the way it is.

Let's pray that the donut hole goes the way of the dinosaur.

Troxel

On Tue, Oct 13, 2009 at 11:10 AM, hey00nanc <ncogan@...> wrote:

> Basic Medicare and your supplement does not cover Rx (unless you do an

> Advantage Plan) but then you pick a Medicare Part D for drug coverage. You

> pay a separate premium for this, but it is usually small.

>

> The problem with Medicare Part D is that it has what they call the 'donut

> hole' when you pay the full drug cost, but for us this is usually a single

> month.....and eventually the plan pays 95% of the drug cost.

>

[Guest guest]

Thank you for this hope. I am so scared to hear, sorry, you just will not be

able to get Gleevec. I know I have time, April 2011, but I am trying to learn

what I can now. I guess the best thing to do, as you mentioned, is wait for the

Health Care that will be passed. But you did make me feel better! Thank you for

that.

> Basic Medicare and your supplement does not cover Rx (unless you do an

> Advantage Plan) but then you pick a Medicare Part D for drug coverage. You

> pay a separate premium for this, but it is usually small.

>

> The problem with Medicare Part D is that it has what they call the 'donut

> hole' when you pay the full drug cost, but for us this is usually a single

> month.....and eventually the plan pays 95% of the drug cost.

>