PDP work very simply - you pick the plan that best suits your health needs. This means, you pick the plan that has the meds that you take on their formulary. Their formulary has been created on a yearly basis by the rules under Medicare which is enforced by the Center of Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) CMS provides the guidelines and requirements to ensure formularies are based on scientific and economic considerations, and that they meet specific coverage requirements.

They may have meds on the formulary that require step therapy(ST) - meaning if a doc prescribes this med, you have to try the others that also may work before trying those up the scale.

STEP THERAPY: If this particular drug is on their formulary and listed as "ST"(step therapy), they have others the doc can pick from to see if it works for you.. These have been also proven to be effective. That is the step therapy. If the lower cost one does not work you move to the next one until you find the one that works.

If the medication is NOT on the formulary at all, and if it is a new medication for you, you and your doc will have to put in for a formulary exception with the insurer to add it to your plan, usually at a higher price. If this permission is given by the plan, hen it is covered until next enrollment and it will count towards your plans out of pocket max for the year.

Then when open enrollment start in October, you review your plan at that time and pick the one that is most beneficial for your medication needs at that time. If your meds are on the expensive side - you should look at both the basic and enhanced plans and decide which is the one best for your needs and also your pocketbook.

EVERY PDP works the same way even though each may have different drugs covered in their formulary because it is the insurer that is responsible for negotiating their own prices with the drug manufacturers and creating their own formulary under the guidelines that CMS has put out.

I have family members with HCM - one has had it for a very long time and has used several different meds thru the years -

Of course you are free to buy and pay for out of pocket the drug that your doc wants you to be on - bypassing the PDP all together. You might be able to find it someplace else although if you are on Medicare you might not be able to participate in the manufacturers patient program because you are on Medicare and have access to it threw that program. But you can always check.

If somebody else is helping you pay for your meds as a PDP insurance program is, then you have to play by the rules of the Medicare PDP program.