Walgreens Offers Help Sorting Through Changes to Medicare Part D Plans : Free personalized report available at every Walgreens makes it easier for seniors to identify their best choices for prescription...( The six-week...),Health

The six-week open enrollment period for Medicare Part D is under way and seniors are facing the annual task of evaluating prescription plans to nail down their choices for the coming year. Medicare enrollees have until Dec. 31 to review their current plan for any changes in cost or coverage and make certain it still meets their needs. Again this year, Walgreens pharmacists will be one of the best resources for Medicare information, offering a free personalized report that makes it easier for seniors and caregivers to weigh their options.

DEERFIELD, Ill. (Business Wire EON) November 19, 2008 -- The report is available in minutes at any of the more than 6,500 Walgreens pharmacies nationwide or online at Walgreens.com/medicare. Pharmacists will enter a list of the patient's medications and generate a printout detailing each plan's estimated annual costs including monthly premiums, brand and generic co-pays and coverage through the coverage gap or "donut hole".

"We urge people not to assume their plans will remain the same for 2009," said Kermit R. Crawford, Walgreens senior vice president of pharmacy. "Many plans have made significant increases in premiums or changes to medications covered. Our report simplifies the decision-making process by providing information tailored for each individual in a way that makes it easy to compare options."

Even if there have not been changes to their current plan, seniors are encouraged to consider how their needs may have evolved over the year and how their plan measures up against others available. Walgreens also recommends that seniors who switch plans or those enrolling in Part D for the first time do so well before the Dec. 31 deadline in order to ensure processing is complete before they need to refill prescriptions in early January.

Walgreens pharmacists can also help seniors determine whe
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