-- A photo identification.

-- An acknowledgment or confirmation letter from the plan if you have one, or an enrollment confirmation number from the plan.

Let the pharmacists know the name of the Medicare drug plan you joined. He or she can confirm your plan enrollment and get the information necessary to bill your plan. Since the pharmacist may have to search for your plan information, it could take extra time to fill your prescriptions.

Also, if you have both Medicare and Medicaid or qualify for extra help with drug plan costs, you should also bring proof of your enrollment in Medicaid or that you qualify for the extra help. Proof of Medicaid or extra help may include the following:

-- Your Medicaid card.

-- A copy of your current Medicaid award letter.

-- A copy of your yellow automatic enrollment letter from Medicare.

-- A copy of either the green, blue, purple or orange extra help letter from Medicare.

-- A copy of your "Notice of Award" letter from Social Security.

-- A copy of your Supplemental Security Income (SSI) award letter.

-- Other proof that you qualify for extra help (such as a "Notice of Award" from a state Medicaid program).

You don't need to have all of these items, but anything you can bring will help the pharmacist confirm your Medicare drug plan enrollment and/or that you qualify for Medicaid or extra help to make sure you get the prescriptions you need, at the costs for which you are entitled.

Q: What happens if the pharmacist is unable to confirm a beneficiary's plan enrollment?

A: As a last resort, the beneficiary may have to pay out-of-pocket for the prescription(s) and send receipts to the plan. If the pharmacist can't confirm plan enrollment and a person pays out-of-pocket, they should save the receipts and work with their Medicare drug plan to be reimbursed. However, given that some plans have a deductible that has to be met before the plan begins to pay; beneficiaries may be paying out-of-pocket for their initial prescriptions anyway.

Q: Are there are any transition periods if a new plan does not cover a prescription drug that was covered by a Medicare beneficiary's former plan?

A: Yes, plans must have the capability to allow enrollees a one-time, temporary supply of non-formulary Part D drugs.

Non-formulary drugs include drugs that are not on a plan's formulary and/or drugs that are on a plan's formulary but require prior authorization or step therapy.

The new plan must accommodate the immediate needs of an enrollee. It must allow sufficient time to either have the Medicare beneficiary's doctor switch them to an equivalent medication or the completion of an exception request through the new plan.

The Medicare beneficiary enrollee is responsible for normal co-pay or coinsurance that the plan would charge for non-formulary drugs approved under a coverage exception.

For those who qualify for the low-income-subsidy, or what is called the "extra help," the co-pay or coinsurance can never exceed the statutory maximum amount.

New plans must provide a 30-day fill when a beneficiary presents a non-formulary prescription within the first 90 days of the coverage under the new plan. Plans must provide a written notice, via U.S. First Class mail, regarding the transition process to the new Medicare beneficiary enrollee within three business days of a temporary fill.

The notice must include the following elements:

-- Explanation of the temporary nature of the transition supply.

-- Instructions for working with the plan sponsor and prescriber to identify an alternative drug.

-- Explanation of the enrollee's right to request a formulary exception.

-- Description of the procedures for requesting a formulary exception.

-- Medicare encourages plans to provide additional information: reason for transition fill, alternative formulary drugs, etc.

-- Pharmacists are encouraged to provide point-of-sale notification about transition fills.