This is the main Social Security website - www.socialsecurity.gov. Click on the “Apply for Medicare” tab on the left to start the Medicare application process.

This is the screen you will get when you click on “Apply for Medicare.” To begin the application process, click on the red button at the upper right.

This is the first page of the Medicare application.

Here is the Medicare home page at www.medicare.gov. To search for Medigap (Supplemental Insurance) or Part D (Prescription Drug) policies, click on the Health and Drug plans tab on the left side.

This is the screen you get when you click on Health and Drug Plans. Under “Finding Plans”, click on “Compare Drug and Health Plans” to find Part D Plans and “Compare Medigap Policies” to find supplemental insurance plans in your area.

To search Medigap policies, you have to provide your zip code. You will also be asked if you already have a supplemental insurance policy (check yes or no). Providing your health status is optional. This is the screen (next three slides) you will get if you input the zip code for Stillwater. For each letter policy, there are certain benefits companies must provide. The difference will be the cost. For example, for a B policy, all companies must offer basic benefits and cover your Part A deductible. For a C policy, all companies must also offer skilled nursing and foreign travel emergency benefits, and cover your Part B deductible.

Now we want to search for Part D Prescription Drug Plans. Off the Medicare home page, if you click on “Health and Drug Plans” (left) and then click on “Compare Health and Drug Plans” (center) – as described on page 5 – you will come to the page you see here. All you really need to do now is enter your zip code and then press “Find Plans”.

The first step in finding Part D plans is to enter your information. For this example, I selected “I don’t know” for each option.

The next step is to enter your drug list. You also have the option to save this list so you can access it later. You can either type in the name of your drug, or you can scroll down and try to find it. You will also need to know your dosage. For this example, I chose a brand name drug that is a tier 3 drug (non-preferred brand name with no generic) injected once a month and a generic drug.

The system will then tell you of the pharmacies in your area. Some plans may charge higher prices if they do not consider it a preferred pharmacy. For this example, I did not add any pharmacies and chose to continue to “Plan Results”.

This screen tells you of all the plans available in your area. For Stillwater and my drug list, there are 31 plans available. There are 28 Part D plans. You can narrow down your search. For example, I selected just prescription drug plans and plans with a 5 star rating.

After refining my search, there are only two plans available. Both are offered by the same insurance company, but the monthly premiums, deductible and copay/coinsurance differ. For this example, I went ahead and chose the first plan.

This screen breaks down the cost each month for your drugs if you choose the first plan. If you were to scroll down this screen, there is an option to see the monthly costs in more detail. For example, I could easily figure out the costs for February (initial coverage level + $34.20 premium), April-June (coverage gap +$34.20 premium) and August-December (catastrophic coverage + 34.20 premium). I had a problem with the other months. The breakdown showed that the high cost in January was due to the deductible being factored in (the total deductible is $310, not the $1054.13). March is higher than February because you have already entered the donut hole for Abrazane. For July, you have entered catastrophic coverage for Abraxane, but you are still in the donut hole for tacrolimus.

This is the official government website for the health care reform legislation – www.healthcare.gov.