CLEVELAND, November 4 — The TEAMStar Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Program is designed to help Medicare eligible members, retirees and their spouses reduce their prescription drug costs and insure against high prescription drug expenses in the future.
As an added benefit of being a Teamster, BLET members are eligible to participate in this program. The open enrollment period for TEAMStar Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Program runs from October 15, 2011 until December 7, 2011.
Not all prescription drug plans are the same. Not all plans cover the same drugs, charge the same monthly fee, the same deductible or co-pay, or, offer coverage through the gap or “donut hole.” TEAMStar was designed to be competitive with other plans in all areas of coverage.
For 2012, the TEAMStar Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Program is pleased to announce a new Low Cost Generic Program at Union Preferred Pharmacies. This program offers $2 co-pays on certain Preferred Generic drugs at participating union preferred pharmacies, such as Albertson’s, Costco, Kroger, Safeway and Vons, etc. In addition, the TEAMStar program continues to provide cost savings on over 3,600 brand name and generic prescription drugs at more than 61,000 pharmacies nationwide.
If you are an IBT or BLET retiree, spouse or dependent of an IBT or BLET member and entitled to Medicare Part A and/or enrolled in Medicare Part B, or in another Medicare Part D plan, you are now eligible for the TEAMStar Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Program (PDP). You are entitled to this program regardless of your health history or the drugs you are currently taking.
The open enrollment period allows retirees who are already in another Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Plan (PDP) to switch plans, if they desire. You just have to go through the normal enrollment process. Retirees in an MA-PD can also switch, but they must also re-enroll in Medicare Part A and Medicare Part B. Retirees with employer- or union-sponsored coverage should speak with their fund before enrolling in TEAMStar, because enrolling in any Medicare Part D program could negatively impact their employer- or union-sponsored coverage.
TEAMStar is a voluntary Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Program that meets the federal government requirements for creditable coverage. It is not available to the general public. Thousands of Teamster retirees have chosen to enroll because they know the union is looking out for them, holding costs down wherever possible.
When you consider these facts, it is worth a few minutes to compare your current plan to TEAMStar:
• 90% of retirees rely on prescription medications on a daily basis (Prescription Drug Trends, Kaiser Family Foundation);
• Prescription drug prices have grown 42.3% from 2000 to 2010 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Price Index)
We hope you will take advantage of this affordable prescription drug plan during the open enrollment period. The program enables IBT members to potentially save money.
You can get more detailed information and also enroll or register for the program at www.teamstarpartd.com/pdp or call 1-866-524-4173. A professionally trained representative will answer any questions you may have.
A flyer for posting at your work place bulletin board is available here:
www.ble-t.org/pr/pdf/2012_teamstar_full_ad.pdf