Medicare changes its covered medicines and their prices every year. Thus, senior citizens must choose their drug plan every year. Even if their previous plan has everything they need, they have to choose a new one, otherwise risking ending up with a plan that doesn’t suit their needs.

In order to make an informed and beneficial decision regarding your plan, you can visit Medicare’s website, www.medicare.gov . Once there, you should first make a list of what medicines you take and their respective dosages. The second step is to click on the “Medicare Prescription Drug Plans - 2009 Plan Data”, and then on “Find and Compare Plans.” You can then choose between a personalized search, if you have you Medicare card, or pick the generalized search.

Then, you can enter the drugs and their dosages on the next page, and you can save the list for future visits and an easier editing. You can then compare plans that provide the medicines you need, and even offer cheaper generic drugs. You can then call 800-MEDICARE to check the information before signing up. Also, the toll-free number can also help you find all the information you can find on the website.

Seniors must sign up for a plan one they become eligible, because if you delay the signing-up until you desperately need prescription drugs, you will be penalized with significant amounts.

Perhaps an easier method, that doesn’t rely so much on the Internet, would be a better option, as the target are senior citizens, some of which are unacquainted with computers. Also, the online sign-up offers more information, which is simultaneously available, than a phone call might put forward.