Medicare Part D is the newest addition to Medicare itself; Part D went into effect January 1st, 2006, and anyone who already has Part A or Part B is also eligible for Part D.
In order to get Medicare Part D, a person with Medicare must enroll in a Prescription Drug Plan, also known as a PDP, or a Medicare Advantage plan that also includes prescription drug coverage.
While Medicare approves and regulates Medicare Part D programs, Part D is actually designed by private health insurance companies. This is why you can get such different plans from different providers.
Some providers choose to cover important drugs, or even whole classes of drugs, and leave little for the consumer to pay, while others won't cover the same drugs at all, or will do so but at very different prices.
This is why it's so important to shop around for a good Medicare Part D program that offers the medications you need, at costs you can afford.
In some cases there are drugs that Medicare Part D does not cover at all, because Medicare doesn't reimburse them. These would include benzodiazepines, cough suppressant and barbiturates.
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