Many Medicare drug plans place drugs into different “tiers.” Drugs in each tier have a different cost. Some plans may have more tiers and some may have less. Below is an example of tiers:

Tier            You Pay                                  What’s Covered

1                Lowest Copayment                 Most generic

                                                                  prescription drugs

2                Medium copayment                Preferred, brand

                                                                  name prescription drugs

3                Higher copayment                  Non-preferred, brand

                                                                  name prescription drugs

In some cases, if your drug is in a higher tier and your doctor thinks you need that drug instead of a similar drug on a lower tier, you can file an exception and ask your plan for a lower copayment.