Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage

[Mjex]

I am researching Medicare prescription drug programs and expect I will be on Lupron or one of the other anti-agonists next year. Are there any programs that are better for a MPC survivor?

[Hex40]

Lupron is administered by a doctor and is therefore covered under Medicare B. Check the formularies of each plan especially for xtandi and Zytiga. Plan D covers prescription meds sold over a pharmacy counter.

[JimVanHorn]

I have Medicare Part B and Part D. also have United Healthcare as my secondary. I was on Lupron for 6 1/2 years and was never charged anything for the Lupron. I no longer have cancer and last year United Healthcare sent me a letter saying that they paid out $22,000. for my medications, and that they only will pay $20,000. per year. However, they said that they gave me $2,000. (I paid nothing) and that I should include the $2,000. as a gift on my income tax.

[D_Alden in reply to JimVanHorn]

United should stick with insurance not tax law, gifts are never taxable income to the recipient regardless of the source. Congrats on getting rid of the cancer, how has it been recovering from the side effects from that long stretch on Lupron?

[JimVanHorn in reply to D_Alden]

Well, it has been 1 1/2 years since I have had Eligard (generic for Lupron) and I can have dry orgasms, I have hair on my chest, my T is 46. I now have diabetes (45 years), heart disease, and stage 5 kidney disease. I am on Coumadin and 18 other medications, so I am not out of the woods with diseases. I am 74 years old and my hips hurt from the bone cancer. I an very grateful to be alive, go to church twice a week, and help drug addicts get off drugs (I was a Pharmacist). I recently moved into a retirement home. I am a happy man. All I can tell you is just keep truckin'.

[Hidden in reply to JimVanHorn]

You are amazingly strong JVH..great attitude and love of life . Thanks

[j-o-h-n in reply to JimVanHorn]

"I no longer have cancer" ? call me a party pooper, but once you have it, you have it...

Good Luck, Good Health and Good Humor.

j-o-h-n Wednesday 11/13/2019 8:20 PM EST

[j-o-h-n]

MPC = ? Metastasized Prostate Cancer? Abbreviations suck....

Good Luck, Good Health and Good Humor.

j-o-h-n Wednesday 11/13/2019 8:26 PM EST

[DrWrite]

None that I am aware of. The deal with Medicare is that when my Oncologist decides we need to move to a new drug, he writes the 'scrip' and I fill it and start on it, a week later I get a letter in the mail approving it. You would think that by now Medicare could use messenger, or text, or e-mail, though I suspect HIPPA is the reason for the hard copy.