"When it comes to these prescription drug plans, you can't just set it and forget it," said Darren Hotten, senior health insurance program manager for the state's Aging and Adult Services. "You have to look at it every year."
What seniors will find is that premiums and deductibles are higher, there are fewer plans offering low-income subsidy help and no plans offer coverage for brand-name drugs during the so-called donut hole gap.
The gap begins once total drug expenses reach $2,510 and ends at $5,726; consumers must cover all of their prescription costs in between.
"People who take catastrophic amounts of prescriptions are going to have to find a generic comparison or pay for their name-brand drugs out of pocket," Hotten said. "They are going to have to make serious decisions about what drugs they are taking."
For seniors who require name-brand drugs, one option may be exploring plans that combine health care and prescriptions to get coverage, Hotten said. Such combinations include so-called Medicare Advantage plans, and 65 are offered in Utah this year.
In 2008, there are 54 stand-alone prescription plans available in the state. The cheapest has a monthly premium of $17.10, while the most expensive program runs $99.50 a month. Annual deductibles top out at $275.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services estimates that 80 percent of Utahns with Medicare could switch to a prescription plan with a lower premium for 2008.
Dorothy Marzolf, 77, of Salt Lake County, says that while her prescription plan premium is increasing slightly, she plans to stay put.
"I am happy with what I have," she said. "I had a hard time making a decision, and I don't like to make decisions, so I'm just sticking with what I have."
Many Utahns may feel the same way.
A new study conducted by Dan Jones & Associates for the CareSource Foundation found 56 percent of Utahns ages 55 and older said they have adequate information about the Medicare Part D prescription plan.
That's up from 45 percent who felt that way a year earlier.
But it still leaves a sizable number - 44 percent - without adequate information.
The polling firm surveyed 412 households along the Wasatch Front.
brooke@sltrib.com
Here's what you should know about Medicare prescription coverage:
* The enrollment period opens today and continues through Dec. 31. This year, 54 prescription drug plans are being offered in Utah.
* Extra help paying for prescription drugs is available if you meet certain monthly income and financial-resource limits. The income maximums are $1,276.25 for an individual or $1,711.25 per couple.
* If you need help figuring out which prescription or health plan is best for you, call 800-541-7735.
