Page 1 - Rx Drug Plan review for John
P. 1
November 18, 2021
John –
Next year’s lowest-cost plan for your Rx drugs is the AARP MedicareRx Walgreens prescription
drug plan (PDP). It is the lowest-cost plan whether you decide to get Multaq through the plan or
from another source. And it is several thousand dollars less expensive than your current plan
will be next year (see Appendix B3 for a side-by-side comparison).
The AARP MedicareRx Walgreens plan’s estimated annual costs in 2022 for your drugs at a
Walgreens pharmacy, including premiums and co-payments, are:
If you get all your drugs through the plan $3,423.26
If you get all your drugs except Multaq through the plan $2,120.37
Walgreens is this plan’s preferred pharmacy, and to get the lowest prices you’ll need to get
your prescriptions filled there (Costco is not in this plan’s pharmacy network). At the end of the
year, ask the Costco pharmacist to transfer your prescriptions to the Walgreens pharmacy you
plan to use. I don’t think you’ll need to get new prescriptions from your doctors.
To enroll in this plan, call (800) 753-8004 by December 7. You do not need to dis-enroll from
your current Humana Walmart Value Rx Plan – when Medicare is notified that you have
enrolled in another plan, it will dis-enroll you from your current plan at the end of this year. You
should receive your new enrollment card from AARP within about three weeks after you enroll
(if you don’t, give them a call).
Please check the list of your drugs and dosages in Appendix A to make sure I entered them
correctly into Medicare’s Plan Finder program. Several of your drugs have less expensive
generic versions, and I used those when they were available (shown in Appendix A).
For Lovaza, the generic version is Omega-3 acid ethyl esters, which are available only in 1 gm
capsules. I entered 4 capsules a day, or 120 capsules a month, which is the standard dosage. Let
me know if this needs to be changed and I can update your costs.
Ways you may be able to save money
Two of your drugs -- hydrochlorothiazide and potassium chloride – are not covered by the plan,
and so the full retail price for these drugs is included in the costs shown above. You may
request that the plan cover the drug at the dosages and quantities shown in Appendix A. If you
do this, your doctor will likely need to write a justification supporting your need for the drug
(instead of another drug that’s used to treat the same condition and that the plan does cover).