Overview

A Medicare Prescription Drug Plan (PDP), or Part D, is the part of Medicare that provides coverage for prescription medications. Anyone who is eligible for Original Medicare (Parts A & B) can sign up for one of these plans, which are offered by private companies approved by Medicare.

If you don't get a PDP when you first become eligible and you don't have what's called creditable coverage from another source, you may be subject to a late enrollment penalty when you do eventually enroll.

Many Medicare Advantage (Part C) plans include prescription drug coverage, and these plans are known as MAPDs.

 

    Benefit Period

    is the way the Original Medicare program measures your use of inpatient hospital and skilled nursing facility (SNF) services. It begins the day that you enter a hospital or SNF and ends when you have not received inpatient hospital or Medicare-covered skilled care in a SNF for 60 days in a row.
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