Learn About Your Medicare Options for 2025:
Part-D Prescription Drug Coverage
When you sign up for Medicare, you have the opportunity to cover your prescription drugs, but have to take the right steps.
Yes, your prescription drugs are going to be covered by Medicare but it is not as simple as signing up for Original Medicare and then attempting to pick up your prescriptions.
In fact, the Medicare program has multiple ways that you can get your prescription drugs covered.
Are you ready to enroll in Medicare insurance? Start with a quote and our Medicare plan team will answer any questions you have to start your enrollment.
How to Get Prescription Drugs Covered on Medicare
Prescription Drugs can often cause the most trouble when it comes to Medicare. This is in part due to the fact that we need more expensive drugs to keep ourselves healthy when we get older. Prescription drug coverage is different on Medicare, than it typically is with health insurance, before you join medicare.
Aetna and Wellcare have been quite popular in San Diego for a low cost provider of Part D prescription drug plans. These less expensive Part D plans typically offer great coverage for generic drugs but have large deductibles and out of pocket costs for specialty drugs.
2 Main Options of Drug Coverage
Advantage Plan – Prescription Drug Coverage
Medicare Advantage plans offers prescription drug coverage as one of the many bundled services included in one plan. Get all your services including medical coverage, dental and vision, and your prescription drugs covered by an Advantage Plan.
These Advantage plans in San Diego are designed to streamline your care in a way that is simple and cost-efficient for both you and the insurance provider.
With an Advantage plan you will pay just 1 premium. This will cover the costs for your Advantage plan which includes Original Medicare coverage and prescription drug coverage.
Standalone Part D – Prescription Drug Plans
Part D Prescription Drug Plans are commonly paired with Supplement Insurance because Supplement Insurance does not offer prescription drug coverage. Part D plans are designed specifically to cover the costs of your drugs and nothing else.
If you are keeping score, you are now paying 3 premiums. One premium for your Original Medicare, another for your Supplement Insurance, and lastly your Part D premium. Start your Medicare quote here.
HealthyMarks can help you evaluate Prescription Drug Coverage
Our team at HealthyMarks is more than happy to help you identify which prescription drug strategy is best for you here in San Diego County.
It is important to make sure that you have a professional who can help you understand the many plans available to you.
To evaluate which plan is best for you, our team calculates the costs for your prescriptions with each plan. We are able to evaluate your total yearly costs based on each Part D premium and how much each of your prescription drugs will cost you. We are always just a phone call away!
Popular Medicare Plan Providers / Carriers in San Diego
Use these pages to explore your San Diego Supplement Insurance and Advantage Plans.
Blue Shield
Blue Shield offers Supplement Plans with “extra” benefits like SilverSneakers and hearing aids. Blue Shield is a nationally recognized insurance provider with a wonderful reputation.
Scan
SCAN Health Plan is a trusted provider of Medicare Advantage plans in San Diego, bringing decades of experience in delivering comprehensive healthcare solutions to seniors.
Anthem
Anthem offers Advantage plans and Supplement Insurance with the well loved gym membership SilverSneakers. For those who qualify, Anthem still offers the popular but retired Plan F.
Kaiser
Kaiser's Medicare offering showcases the numerous facilities all throughout California. The Kaiser Medicare Advantage HMO offers access to Kaiser facilities and the participating providers.
UnitedHealthcare®
UnitedHealthcare® offers Medicare services including Supplement Insurance and Advantage Plans with access to multiple San Diego doctor networks and hospitals. HealthyMarks Medicare has the ability to offer these plans
Sharp
Sharp HealthCare is one of the major medical providers here in San Diego. Sharp has made it their focus to offer quality healthcare at an affordable price for the community of downtown San Diego.
Insurance carriers pay brokers like us to help you enroll in your Medicare plans.
So you can enroll with a professional free of charge!
Further Reading: Co-Pays vs Co-Insurances
Knowing exactly what you will pay for any given services can be confusing with health insurance. Knowing how much you will pay for any given prescription drug can also be confusing. The insurance carrier will pay a portion of the costs for your drugs but you will be responsible for either a Co-Pay or a Co-Insurance.
- A Co-Pay is a dollar amount that you will pay for your medical services.
- A Co-Insurance is a percentage amount.
For example, I went to pick up my generic prescription and I had a co-pay of $20. I then picked up a specialty brand name drug and paid my co-insurance of 30%.
If you’d like some more examples, take a look at this blog we’ve written on the subject:
