Medicare is a federal health insurance program designed to assist the nation's elderly to meet hospital, medical, and other health costs. Medicare is available to people in the U.S. who are 65 and older as well as some younger people with disabilities and is a different program than Medicaid, which offers health and other services to eligible low-income people of all ages
Medicare Part D, also referred to as Medicare prescription drug benefit, is an optional program to help Medicare beneficiaries pay for self-administered prescription drugs through prescription drug insurance premiums. Coverage is provided through private insurance companies that have contracts with the Federal Government and is not provided directly by the government.
Medicare Part D is simply insurance for your medication needs. You pay your monthly premium to the Part D insurance carrier and use the insurance carrier’s network of pharmacies to fulfill your prescription medications. You pay a copay or percentage of the drug’s cost, instead of paying full price, and the insurance company will pay the rest.
