(Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services: Washington, D.C.) -- As the beginning of the annual election period for the Medicare Prescription Drug Program nears, many seniors and their caregivers are in the dark about how the program works and how to make the most of it. This is something Esther Koch, gerontologist and eldercare expert, sees every year and she says that it's costing seniors and their families. “Many seniors in the U.S. are spending more money on prescriptions drugs than they have to because they're confused about the basics of the Medicare Prescription Drug Program,” she says. “And in the current economic downturn this can really have an impact.”
 
When it comes to prescription drug coverage, seniors fall into four groups: seniors with employee or retiree drug coverage; those in Medicare Advantage Plans with drug coverage; those in low income subsidy programs; and seniors who are in stand-alone Medicare Prescription Drug Plans or have no prescription drug coverage.

Guidance for those with stand-alone or no prescription drug plans:

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