Fun With Medicare Part D!

I came up with this story problem to demonstrate how complicated it is to understand the Medicare Part D prescription plan, which many of our seniors deal with every day.

Carl has a medicare part D plan with no deductible. Part D covers drugs up to $2400 in total retail cost (rxspend). When you reach $2400 you enter the coverage gap where you pay for drugs at 100% of the cost. You get out of the gap and reach catastophic protection when you reach $3850 in true out of pocket costs (TROoP), what you have paid only. The plan pays $95% of the total drug cost in catastrophic.

1) If Carl has a monthly retail cost of $400, which month will he reach the coverage gap in if his plan begins in Jan? In April?


2) If Carl has a monthly retail cost of $950, of which $200 each month is copays in initial coverage, in which month will he reach catastophic protection?


3) If Carl's monthly retail cost is $950, of which $200 per month is copays in initial coverage, what will be his total retail cost (Rxspend) at the end of the year?


Answers:
1. Jan = July, April = October
2. July
3. Rxspend = $4135

Quote

“There’s this kid & he’s in his backyard digging a hole & the neighbor lady looks over the fence & says, ‘What you doing over there little Johnny?’ And he looks really sad & says, ‘My goldfish died & I’m having a funeral for him.’ And the lady says, “Um, that’s an ‘ofly big hole for a goldfish.’ And little Johnny says, ‘Well that’s because he’s inside your stupid cat.’”

-Oliver, A Lot Like Love
(movie, 2005), When asked to
“Just say anything.”

Sandals

A married couple walked into a tourist shop. The Jamaican said to them, "I have some special sandals I think you would be interested in. Dey make you wild at sex."

Well, the wife was really interested in buying the sandals after what the man claimed, but her husband felt he really didn't need them, being the sex god he was.

The husband asked the man, "How could sandals make you into a sex freak?"

The Jamaican replied, "Just try dem on, Mon." So, the husband, after some badgering from his wife, finally gave in,and tried them on.

As soon as he slipped them onto his feet, he got this wild look in his eyes, something his wife hadn't seen in many years!

In the blink of an eye, the husband grabbed the Jamaican, bent him violently over a table, yanked down his pants, ripped down his own pants, and grabbed a firm a hold of the Jamaican's hips.

The Jamaican then began screaming, "You got dem on the wrong feet! You got dem on de wrong feet!"

English Humour

The train was quite crowded, so a U. S. Marine walked the entire length looking for a seat, but the only seat left was taken by a well dressed, middle-aged, French woman's poodle. The war-weary Marine asked, "Ma'am, may I have that seat?" The French woman just sniffed and said to no one in particular, "Americans are so rude. My little Fifi is using that seat." The Marine walked the entire train again, but the only seat left was under that dog. "Please, ma'am. May I sit down? I'm very tired." She snorted, "Not only are you Americans rude, you are also arrogant!" This time the Marine didn't say a word; he just picked up the little dog, tossed it out the train window, and sat down. The woman shrieked, "Someone must defend my honour! Put this American in his place!" An English gentleman sitting nearby spoke up, "Sir, you Americans seem to have a penchant for doing the wrong thing. You hold the fork in the wrong hand. You drive your autos on the wrong side of the road. And now, sir, you seem to have thrown the wrong bitch out the window."