Helping your loved one manage his medications can be very complicated. You want him to have access to the best treatments, but finances may be limited and insurance can be tricky. And then there’s the matter of helping your loved one remember which medicines to take when.

Managing medications is a really a two-step process. It involves

• helping your loved one keep track of his prescriptions and take medications as directed; and

• managing costs—making sure your loved one is getting the best deals on prescriptions and knows where to go to get financial assistance if he needs it.

Medicare offers prescription drug coverage (Part D). This coverage is available through private companies. In order to get this coverage, your loved one must choose and sign up for a plan. This benefit is optional. Whether your loved one should sign up for Medicare drug coverage, and whether this coverage will save her money, depends on the quality of her current coverage and how well it coordinates with her other benefits.

To find out what kind of drug coverage Medicare offers, click on "How do I get the Medicare prescription drug benefit?" and "Should I enroll in the Medicare drug benefit?" in the GO TO box.

For more information on how to help your loved one pay for prescriptions, click NEXT.