Last time, we talked about building your own medication list. Here's what to do with it: ask a pharmacist to review it.
Many people don't know this, but Medicare drug plans, including Medicare Advantage plans with drug coverage, must offer a program called Medication Therapy Management to members who meet certain requirements. Taking medications for more than one chronic condition is a common starting point, though each plan sets its own criteria within federal limits.
If you qualify, you're invited to a comprehensive medication review. It's a one-on-one conversation with a pharmacist or other qualified health professional about everything you take: prescriptions, over-the-counter products, and supplements. Afterward, you should receive a written summary with a medication list and a to-do list to share with your doctors. If you qualify, there's no additional charge, and you can say no.
How to ask for one:
Call the member services number on your plan ID card and ask: "Am I eligible for Medication Therapy Management, and can I schedule a comprehensive medication review?" Many plans mail an invitation first, so look through your mail too.
If you don't qualify, ask your regular pharmacist whether they offer a medication review. Services and any cost vary by pharmacy, so ask before you book.
Bring your list to your Annual Wellness Visit and ask your provider to go through it with you.
Two cautions. Never stop or change a medication on your own. Changes are made with your prescriber. And be careful with unexpected calls offering a medication review. If you're unsure who is calling, hang up and dial the number on your member ID card.
At Clear Path Senior Benefits, we can help you find out how your plan handles this and how to ask. Book a Discovery Session at https://clearpathsb.com/discover/ or call (713) 588-5498.
Has a pharmacist ever caught something on your medication list? Tell us in the comments.
Clear Path Senior Benefits, PLLC, is a licensed insurance agency in Texas (Agency License #3507591) and other states. We are not connected with or endorsed by the federal Medicare program, Social Security, or any other government agency. We do not offer every plan available in your area. Any information we provide is limited to those plans we do offer in your area. Please contact Medicare.gov or 1-800-MEDICARE to get information on all of your options. By contacting 713-588-5498, you will be connected with a licensed insurance agent. John Nelson, licensed insurance agent in Texas and other states.
Why does the same prescription cost one person $5 and another $50? Often, it comes down to drug tiers.
Every Medicare Part D plan sorts its covered drugs into tiers on a list called a formulary. Lower tiers, mostly generics, usually cost the least. Higher tiers, including brand-name and specialty drugs, cost more. Here is the catch: the same drug can sit on different tiers in different plans, and formularies can change from year to year.
In this second video of our Part D series, John Nelson walks through each tier, including where GLP-1 medications typically land and why drugs prescribed only for weight loss are generally treated differently.
Annual Enrollment runs October 15 through December 7. It is the right time to check where your medications fall on your 2027 plan.
Not affiliated with or endorsed by the federal Medicare program, Social Security, or any other government agency. We do not offer every plan available in your area. Any information we provide is limited to those plans we do offer in your area. Please contact Medicare.gov or 1-800-MEDICARE to get information on all of your options.
You have probably seen ads for prescription discount programs. Can they replace your Medicare drug plan? No, and here is why that matters.
Outside savings programs can help with some higher-cost, brand-name, and specialty medications. But they are not creditable coverage, so they cannot replace a Medicare drug plan. Dropping your plan can trigger a lifetime late-enrollment penalty, and purchases made outside your plan generally do not count toward your deductible or out-of-pocket cap.
A few signs of a reputable program: it always requires a valid prescription from your doctor, and it works alongside your drug plan, not instead of it.
In the final video of our Part D series, John Nelson puts it all together: the 2027 premium change, drug tiers, working with your doctors, and where savings programs fit.
Disclosure: we may have affiliate relationships with some resources of the type discussed and may be compensated if you use them. General education only, not medical advice. Not affiliated with or endorsed by the federal Medicare program, Social Security, or any other government agency. We do not offer every plan available in your area. Any information we provide is limited to those plans we do offer in your area. Please contact Medicare.gov or 1-800-MEDICARE to get information on all of your options.
Ever look at your pill organizer and wonder how you got here?
It happens to a lot of people. Different doctors prescribe different medications, and they do not always talk to each other. The result can be more side effects, more interactions, and higher costs.
In video 3 of our Part D series, John Nelson shares three steps that can lower your prescription costs and help you feel better:
Keep every medication on one list and share it with all your doctors.
Ask about generics wherever they are appropriate.
Review every medication with your doctor or pharmacist and ask why it is needed.
Never stop or change a medication on your own. Any change should come from your doctor.
Bonus tip: if you take several medications, ask your Part D plan about its Medication Therapy Management program, a pharmacist review at no additional charge for members who qualify.
General education only, not medical advice. Not affiliated with or endorsed by the federal Medicare program, Social Security, or any other government agency. We do not offer every plan available in your area. Any information we provide is limited to those plans we do offer in your area. Please contact Medicare.gov or 1-800-MEDICARE to get information on all of your options.
Your Medicare Part D premium may be changing in 2027. Here is what you should know.
A temporary federal subsidy called the Part D Premium Stabilization Demonstration has helped hold down premiums for standalone Part D plans since 2025. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is ending it after 2026, a year earlier than planned, which means some standalone drug plan premiums may rise next year.
The good news: the annual out-of-pocket cap on covered drugs stays in place, the insulin cost cap stays in place, and people who receive Extra Help are generally protected from this change.
The 2027 plans are already priced without the subsidy, so Annual Enrollment (October 15 through December 7) is the time to compare. What works for a neighbor may not suit you.
Not connected with or endorsed by the U.S. government or the federal Medicare program. We do not offer every plan available in your area. Currently we represent [#] organizations which offer [#] products in your area. Please contact Medicare.gov or 1-800-MEDICARE to get information on all of your options.
More than four in ten adults 65 and older regularly take five or more prescription medications, nearly double the rate from twenty years ago. More medications mean more chances for something to interact, duplicate, or simply outlive its usefulness, and most people have no one keeping the master list except themselves.
That's what a medication audit is: not a doctor's job, a you job, done before you ever walk into an appointment. Start by gathering everything in one place, every prescription, over-the-counter medication, and supplement you actually take, not just what's on file somewhere. Write down what each one is for and who prescribed it. If you can't answer why you're taking something, that's exactly the kind of item worth flagging.
Look for the obvious red flags: two medications treating the same thing, something prescribed for a condition that's since resolved, or a supplement you started years ago and never stopped. You're not diagnosing anything, you're just building an honest, complete list.
Here's the part that matters most: this list is meant to start a conversation, not end one. Never stop or change a medication on your own, some are genuinely dangerous to quit abruptly. Bring your list to your doctor, your pharmacist, or your next Annual Wellness Visit, and ask directly whether everything on it still earns its place.
We'll cover how a pharmacist-led medication review works, often at no added cost through Medicare, in the next post. For now, the list itself is the whole assignment.
