Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit Online Tools Help Beneficiaries Make Decisions

To help Medicare beneficiaries select appropriate prescription drug coverage, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has developed an online selection tool that retrieves, in mere seconds, available plan offerings based on information entered by the user.

Access Drug Plan Finder

To use the online drug plan finder, beneficiaries need an Internet-connected computer and a list of all regularly taken prescription medications. Upon connection to www.medicare.gov, the user will find links to prescription drug resources.

1. To begin the drug plan finder, the user clicks on the “Compare Medicare Prescription Drug Plans” link, then clicks on the orange button next to “Find a Prescription Drug Plan.”

2. Next, the user may select a “personalized” search based on the beneficiary’s Medicare I.D.; or “general” search which contains more potential options. The general search is ideal for “dry runs” of the drug plan finder.

The prescription drug plan finder is now ready to search for plans based on beneficiaries’ prescription medication needs, ZIP code, and eligibility for financial assistance.

Select Drug Plan Type

The user selects between “Medicare Advantage” drug coverage or “standalone” drug coverage. Medicare Advantage plans (Medicare health care coverage in an HMO or PPO model) are now required to offer prescription drug coverage.

“Standalone” prescription drug plans are intended for Medicare Part B enrollees who currently do not have any prescription drug coverage.

Enter Prescription Medications

The user may now click the “enter my medications” button to input specific prescription drugs. This will help the plan finder narrow down the number of appropriate drug plans.

1. For each prescription drug entered, the finder will list the drug name and prompt the user to select variants, if available (time-release, generic, etc.)

2. Additional drugs may be added by selecting the “add another drug” button;
repeat as necessary. After all drugs are entered, select the “continue with selected drugs” button.

The user is now given the option to enter his or her actual prescribed drug doses, or search, based on commonly prescribed dosages for the indicated drugs.

View/Print Search Results

Clicking the “show plans” button prompts the drug plan finder to retrieve all available plans and options based on the user’s individualized criteria.

1. The “show plans” button instructs the drug plan finder to list the three cheapest coverage options first at the top of its results list.

2. Users may refine their plan search (changing drugs and/or dosages, searching by pharmacy) by selecting the desired buttons on the results page.

Prescription drug plan search results may be printed, to facilitate beneficiaries’ discussion of options with their physician or family members.

Beneficiaries may call 800-Medicare (800-633-4227) to speak to a specialist regarding prescription drug plan coverage and enrollment.