The Down Sides of This: 2025 Changes for Medicare Perscription Drug Coverage Part D
The biggest one I see, in my opinion, is that this acts like a form of credit and people don’t always manage credit well.
If you are not paying for your prescriptions as you pick them up, and you now have extra money in your pocket that you usually don’t have, it might be more tempting to use that money for something else such as a gift for a grandchild, a few extra purchases in the pharmacy, a treat for yourself. While these are all nice things, a bill will be coming to you from your insurer (Part D Plan) for the cost of those medications, and there is no discount on the cost of the medication – it is not a money saving feature, it is supposedly a budgeting feature.
This is not a money saving feature.
The insurers are just as new to this as you are and there are likely to be GLITCHES as insurers, and pharmacies, now have to communicate with each other about what medications you picked up and what amounts you owe. They then have to get a correct monthly statement (bill) to you.
The amount owed can change each month depending on factors such as whether you paid your entire balance off each month or not, whether you picked up additional/fewer medications, or whether you have had medication changes or cost changes.
You will also, confusingly, be receiving two bills from your insurer. One for the premium and one for the prescriptions that you picked up.