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How to Enroll in Medicare Part D, Step by Step

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Step 1: Open Medicare.gov

Website homepage header for Medicare.gov featuring a smiling older woman in a light blue blouse and jeans on the right, with text on the left saying 'Welcome to Medicare' and a green button labeled 'Get started with Medicare,' plus a link icon and text 'Talk to someone' below it.

Step 2: Choose Find health & drug plans

Medicare.gov homepage showing navigation menu under Health & Drug Plans with options to find health & drug plans, compare coverage, learn about Medicare Advantage, Medigap, and drug coverage, plus log in or create an account. Below is a welcome message and quick tasks including log in/create account, find health & drug plans, and find care providers.

Step 3: Enter your ZIP code

Medicare.gov webpage section titled 'Find the plan that works for you' with instructions to enter ZIP code for Medicare Part A and/or B users. Shows three smiling older women standing together to the right. Below is a box to find Medicare health and drug plans with login options and ZIP code entry field, including buttons for creating an account, logging in, and continuing.

Step 4: Select Drug plan (Part D)

Medicare.gov webpage showing the heading 'Find the plan that works for you' with instructions to enter ZIP code and choose plan type. The page features a photo of three older women standing together. A section below allows users to log in or create an account to save time or select a plan type if they don't have a Medicare account. Options include Medicare Advantage Plan (Part C), Drug plan (Part D) which is selected, and Medigap policy (supplement insurance). Buttons for 'Back' and 'Find plans' are visible.

Step 5: Indicate whether you receive help with costs

Medicare.gov webpage asking if the user gets help with Medicare health or drug costs, listing options with radio buttons: Medicaid with explanation about Dual Eligible Special Needs Plans, Supplemental Security Income, Medicare Savings Program, Extra Help with drug costs, and a selected option stating 'I don't get help from any of these programs.' A Continue button is below. Navigation links are at the top, including Basics, Health & Drug Plans, Providers & Services, along with chat and login icons.

Step 6: Choose whether to include drug costs

A Medicare.gov webpage asks if you want to use drug costs to help compare plans with two options: 'Yes, include drug costs' selected and 'No, don’t include drug costs' unselected, plus a green Continue button below.

Step 7: Add your prescription drugs

Medicare.gov webpage titled 'Add your drugs' with instructions to type to find and select prescription drugs, including a search box, Add button, and links to browse drugs A-Z, find a drug, see plans without drug costs, and a prompt to log in to use a saved drug list.

Step 8: Review and sort available drug plans

Medicare.gov webpage titled 'Compare and choose a plan' for Prescription Drug Plans in Franklin, OH, showing filter options for Insurance Carriers, Star Ratings, with a button to view all filters, and a sort dropdown set to 'Lowest drug + premium cost'.

Step 9: Review a plan and add it to your comparison

Comparison of Humana Basic Rx Plan (PDP) listing deductible of $615, total drug and premium cost $0, monthly premium $0, with options to add drugs and pharmacies, add prescription drugs, see plan details, enroll, or add to compare, showing a star rating of 3 out of 5.

Step 10: Open your selected plan comparison

Comparison bar at the bottom of a webpage showing three selected Medicare Part D plans to compare: Humana Basic Rx Plan (PDP), Wellcare Value Script (PDP), and HealthSpring Extra Rx (PDP), with a 'Compare' button on the right.

Step 11: Compare monthly premiums and plan ratings

Comparison chart of three prescription drug plans: Humana Basic Rx Plan with $0 monthly premium, Wellcare Value Script with $7.60 monthly premium, and HealthSpring Extra Rx with $65.70 monthly premium. Each plan has buttons to 'See plan details' and 'Enroll.' Overview section shows star ratings, total monthly premiums, and yearly drug deductibles, all plans have a $615 yearly deductible. Below, there's info about adding prescription drugs for better cost estimates.

Step 12: Review drug coverage and costs

Comparison of three prescription drug plans showing monthly premiums, star ratings, and yearly drug deductible: Humana Basic Rx Plan ($0.00 premium, 3 stars, $615 deductible), Wellcare Value Script ($7.60 premium, 3.5 stars, $615 deductible), and HealthSpring Extra Rx ($65.70 premium, 2.5 stars, $615 deductible). Each plan offers buttons to see plan details or enroll, with sections for Overview and Drug coverage & costs.

Step 13: Check deductibles and prescription cost estimates

Comparison table of three prescription drug plans: Humana Basic Rx Plan (PDP) with a $0.00 monthly premium and 3 stars, Wellcare Value Script (PDP) with a $7.60 monthly premium and 3.5 stars, and HealthSpring Extra Rx (PDP) with a $65.70 monthly premium and 2.5 stars. All plans have a yearly drug deductible of $615.00. Each plan offers buttons to see plan details, enroll, and add prescription drugs to get better cost estimates.

Step 14: Add drugs for more accurate estimates

Medicare.gov page titled 'Add your drugs' with instructions to type and select prescription drugs for cost estimates, featuring a search box, an Add button, links to browse drugs A-Z and help for not finding a drug, and options to see plans without drug costs or log in to save drug lists.

Step 15: Find and select your pharmacies

Screen showing Humana Basic Rx Plan (PDP) In-Network Pharmacy Finder with fields to enter street address or ZIP code, a Find Pharmacies button, distance filter set to 5 miles, option to show only preferred pharmacies, a map on the right side with pharmacy markers near Grove City. A box invites users to add prescription drugs for better cost estimates with an Add Drugs button. Text at bottom notes 0 of 5 pharmacies selected and a Continue button is visible in the lower right.

Step 16: Review what you need and choose Join Plan

Popup window on Medicare.gov showing enrollment confirmation for Humana Basic Rx Plan (PDP) with Plan ID S5884-137-0, listing required information such as Medicare Number, other health coverage details, and effective dates, with Cancel and Join Plan buttons.

Step 17: Review enrollment period requirements

Medicare.gov enrollment page for Humana Basic Rx Plan (PDP) showing instructions to start application, plan details including Plan ID S5884-137-0 and drug coverage only. It explains enrollment periods for joining Medicare Advantage or Drug Plan Part D, with a note on Cost Plans. The user is asked to confirm enrollment period eligibility by checking applicable statements. A highlighted note warns that joining a Medicare drug plan after the Initial Enrollment Period may incur a Part D late enrollment penalty unless the user gets Extra Help with drug costs, linking to more information.

Step 18: Check the new-to-Medicare enrollment options

Form section titled 'Initial Enrollment Period & other new to Medicare situations' with a highlighted note stating that joining a Medicare drug plan after the initial enrollment period may include a Part D late enrollment penalty, but with Extra Help, no penalty applies. Checkboxes follow for statements: I'm new to Medicare; I'm new to Medicare and was notified after my Part A and/or Part B coverage started; I had Medicare before but am now turning 65. Next section is 'Medicare Advantage Plan Open Enrollment Period' with a checkbox for having Medicare less than 3 months and wanting to make a change. The start of a 'Special Enrollment Period' section is visible.

Step 19: Review Special Enrollment Period options

Text explaining Medicare Special Enrollment Periods with two sections: one about changing where you live listing five qualifying reasons with checkboxes, and one about losing or changing current coverage listing two qualifying reasons with checkboxes and a highlighted note about potential Part D late enrollment penalty if creditable prescription drug coverage was lost before 6/15/2026.

Step 20: Select the enrollment situation that applies to you

A list of checkboxes with statements related to Medicare enrollment situations, such as joining a Medicare Advantage Plan with drug coverage, signing up during a Special Enrollment Period, switching plans due to state takeover or low star ratings, and requesting accessible Medicare information; two links explain exceptional circumstances and accessible formats; below is a prompt to contact the plan if no statements match, with Back and Next buttons at the bottom.

Step 21: Enter your Medicare information

Medicare.gov webpage showing Step 1 of 7 titled 'Your Medicare information' for joining Humana Basic Rx Plan (PDP) with plan ID S5884-137-0 and only drug coverage. A blank input box is provided to enter the Medicare Number. Important information below advises those with health or drug coverage from an employer or union to consult their provider before changes, and explains criteria for joining a separate Drug Plan, listing health plans like Private Fee-for-Service Plan.

Step 22: Read and acknowledge the Privacy Act Statement

Web page section on Medicare enrollment shows a Privacy Act Statement explaining CMS's collection of beneficiary data for Medicare Advantage and Prescription Drug Plans, with a checkbox marked "I've read and understand the contents of this page." Below are Back and Next buttons, with the Next button highlighted. Links for About Medicare, Nondiscrimination/Accessibility, Privacy Policy, Privacy Setting, Linking Policy, Using this site, and Plain Writing appear at the footer.

Step 23: Enter your personal information

Medicare.gov enrollment form for Humana Basic Rx Plan (PDP), step 2 of 7, asking for personal information including first name, optional middle initial, last name, and date of birth with fields for month, day, and year.

Step 24: Enter your address

Medicare.gov enrollment page for Part D, Step 3 of 7, asking for your address to join Humana Basic Rx Plan (PDP) with Plan ID S5884-137-0. Form fields include address lines 1 and 2 (optional), city, and state, with a note that all fields are required unless optional.

Step 25: Answer the general coverage questions

Medicare.gov enrollment page, Step 4 of 7, titled General questions for Humana Basic Rx Plan (PDP) drug coverage. It asks if you have other drug coverage besides this plan with Yes/No options, then two optional questions about if you work and if your spouse works, each with Yes/No options.

Step 26: Choose how to pay your plan premium

Medicare.gov webpage showing step 5 of 7 for paying your plan premium for Humana Basic Rx Plan (PDP) with Plan ID S5884-137-0 includes drug coverage only, explaining monthly premium payment options including deduction from Social Security or Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) benefits or billing by the plan.

Step 27: Review and accept the plan agreement

Medicare.gov webpage for Step 6 of 7: Plan agreement to join Humana Basic Rx Plan (PDP) with Plan ID S5884-137-0. The page includes terms the user must agree to, such as maintaining Hospital (Part A) or Medical (Part B) coverage, consent to share information with Medicare, accuracy of entered information, and Medicare coverage limitations outside the U.S. border, followed by a signature agreement statement.

Step 28: Review your application and correct any errors

Medicare.gov webpage showing Step 7 of 7 for reviewing and submitting an application to join Humana Basic Rx Plan (PDP), including plan ID and coverage details, with sections for Medicare information and personal information such as first name and middle initial, and options to edit each section.

Step 29: Acknowledge and submit your application

Webpage section showing options for paying plan premiums by deducting from Social Security or Railroad Retirement Board benefits, an agreement to plan terms by the applicant, and a checked acknowledgement confirming the submission of an application to join Humana Basic Rx Plan (PDP), with a green Submit button.
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