Six weeks remain to pick a drug plan

With the registration deadline six weeks away, only about half of the eligible people in Snohomish County have signed up for the new Medicare prescription drug plan.

“The clock is ticking,” said Shirley Hauck, a Medicare prescription drug specialist with Senior Services of Snohomish County. “We’re about halfway there.”

Some people already have prescription insurance through Medicare health management organizations, retirement plans from their former employers or the military.

That still leaves an estimated 32,000 people to sign up, she said.

If those now eligible for the new drug plan don’t sign up by May 15, and choose to do so later, they will pay a lifetime penalty, or extra charge, when they do sign up, said Bob Quirk, who works at the county’s Senior Information and Assistance.

The penalty will be added to whatever the average national monthly premium is at the time of signup. If that amount is $50, the penalty is an extra $10, he said.

That’s why some seniors are choosing to sign up now for an inexpensive plan, even if they currently get their prescriptions in other ways, such as going to Canada, said James Pham, a coordinator with Snohomish County’s Senior Information and Assistance.

A series of workshops have been scheduled around the county to help people register. Appointments for help are available on Tuesday and Thursday at Senior Information and Assistance in Mukilteo.

In addition, two big local registration events also are planned. The first will be from noon to 5 p.m. April 22 at the Lynnwood Convention Center. The second will be 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. May 4 at the Everett Events Center.

During a recent workshop in Snohomish, people’s reactions varied from being “totally confused and nervous about the whole thing to people who are working the angles: ‘Which is really the best thing for me?’ ” Hauck said.

One of those who attended the workshop was retired school teacher Marylyn Eastman of Snohomish. “I’ve just been completely snowed by all this,” she said. “I had no idea what to do.”

Yet when it came time to choose a plan, she was pleasantly surprised. She learned she could save about $1,000 a year on her blood pressure, osteoporosis and cholesterol medications.

“It was beyond my imagination,” she said. “I just hope it holds true.”

Many current prescription assistance programs for low-income seniors that run through pharmaceutical companies are ending as the Medicare drug plan kicks in, Hauck said.

The programs provide free or low-cost medications but will not continue for most seniors on Medicare, she said.

Another change is that the new Medicare prescription drug plans will replace the current Medicare discount drug cards, which can’t be used after May 15.

It takes about six weeks to process the changeovers, so any senior now using a Medicare card should get signed up for a prescription drug plan, Hauck said.

However, one local prescription discount card, offered free to anyone of any age who lives or works in Snohomish County, will continue.

“I think for seniors, the Medicare (prescription drug plan) makes a lot of sense, said County Council member Dave Gossett, who helped bring the discount card plan to the county.

However, the discount card may provide a way for seniors to get a particular prescription cheaper than through the Medicare prescription drug program they sign up for, he said.

Since the county’s discount card is free, “it doesn’t hurt to have it,” Gossett said.

Applications for the cards are available at local libraries, city halls and senior centers. Last month, nearly 3,000 people in Snohomish County used the card to buy prescriptions, Gossett said.

Whether they use the discount card or not, the biggest advice to seniors is to “be a wise consumer and to be creative in the way they purchase their prescription drugs,” Pham said.

The choices made by any one senior will need to be based on their specific medications, he said.

Medicare help

Senior Services of Snohomish County is offering appointments from noon to 4 p.m. on Tuesday and Thursdays through May 11 for anyone needing help with the new Medicare prescription drug plan.

The help sessions are offered at its offices, 8221 44th Ave. W. Suite E in Mukilteo. Call 425-513-1900 for an appointment.

Other upcoming help sessions are:

April 7: 1-4 p.m., Providence Everett Medical Center, Medical Office Building, Cascade room. 1330 Rockefeller Ave., Everett. Call 425-258-7357 for an appointment

April 13: 1p.m.-4 p.m., South County Senior Center, 220 Railroad Ave., Edmonds. Call 425-774-5555 for an appointment.

April 18: noon-4 p.m., East County Senior Center, 824 Village Way, Monroe. Call Senior Services of Snohomish County for information at 425-513-1900.

April 22: noon-5 p.m., Lynnwood Convention Center, 3711 196th St. SW, Lynnwood. Call Senior Services of Snohomish County for information at 425-513-1900.

May 2: noon-4 p.m., East County Senior Center, 824 Village Way, Monroe. Call Senior Services of Snohomish County for information at 425-513-1900.

May 3: 8 a.m.-11a.m., Providence Everett Medical Center, Providence rooms A and B, 916 Pacific Ave., Everett. Call 425-258-7357 for an appointment.

May 4: 9 a.m.- 3 p.m., Everett Events Center, 2000 Hewitt Ave., Everett. Call Senior Services of Snohomish County for information at 425-513-1900.

May 11: 1-4 p.m., South County Senior Center, 220 Railroad Ave., Edmonds. Call 425-774-5555 for an appointment.

Source: Senior Services of Snohomish County

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

Customers enter and exit the Costco on Dec. 2, 2022, in Lake Stevens. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Costco stores could be impacted by looming truck driver strike threat

Truck drivers who deliver groceries and produce to Costco warehouses… Continue reading

Two Washington State ferries pass along the route between Mukilteo and Clinton as scuba divers swim near the shore Sunday, Oct. 22, 2023, in Mukilteo, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Ferry system increases ridership by a half million in 2024

Edmonds-Kingston route remains second-busiest route in the system.

Alina Langbehn, 6, center, and Vera A., 6, right, sit on a swing together at Drew Nielsen Neighborhood Park after school on Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Everett council votes to renovate Drew Nielsen Park

Construction on the $345,000 upgrade could start as early as this fall.

Northshore School District bus driver Stewart O’Leary pictured next to his buses shattered drivers side windshield on Friday, Feb. 14, 2025 in Bothell, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
‘Put me in, coach’: Bus driver back at work after struck by metal bar

Stewart O’Leary, a Northshore employee, has received national attention for his composure during a frightening bus trip.

Lynnwood councilor Joshua Binda speaks during a Lynnwood City Council meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Does the Lynnwood Council VP live in Lynnwood? It’s hard to say.

Josh Binda’s residency has been called into question following an eviction and FEC filings listing an Everett address. He insists he lives in Lynnwood.

Robin Cain with 50 of her marathon medals hanging on a display board she made with her father on Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025 in Lake Stevens, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Running a marathon is hard. She ran one in every state.

Robin Cain, of Lake Stevens, is one of only a few thousand people to ever achieve the feat.

People line up to grab food at the Everett Recovery Cafe on Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Coffee, meals and compassion are free at the Everett Recovery Cafe

The free, membership-based day center offers free coffee and meals and more importantly, camaraderie and recovery support.

The Everett Wastewater Treatment Plant along the Snohomish River on Thursday, June 16, 2022 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Everett water, sewer rates could jump 43% by 2028

The rate hikes would pay for improvements to the city’s sewer infrastructure.

The bond funded new track and field at Northshore Middle School on Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024 in Bothell, Washington. (Courtesy of Northshore School District)
Northshore School District bond improvements underway

The $425 million bond is funding new track and field complexes, playgrounds and phase one of two school replacements.

An American Robin picks a berry from a holly tree on Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025 in Edmonds, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Calling all birders for the annual Great Backyard Bird Count

The Audubon Society will hold its 28th annual Great Backyard… Continue reading

A view of one of the potential locations of the new Aquasox stadium on Monday, Feb. 26, 2024 in Everett, Washington. The site sits between Hewitt Avenue, Broadway, Pacific Avenue and the railroad. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Initial prep work for AquaSox stadium to start, with $200k price tag

The temporary agreement allows some surveying and design work as the city negotiates contracts with designers and builders.

Aaron Kennedy / The Herald
The Joann Fabric and Crafts store at 7601 Evergreen Way, Everett, is one of three stores in Snohomish County that will close as part of the retailer’s larger plan to shutter more than half of its stores nationwide.
Joann store closure plan includes Everett, Arlington, Lynnwood locations

The retail giant filed a motion in court to close approximately 500 stores in the U.S.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.