The marketing phase of Medicare Part D officially launched on Saturday. That means details on competing plans are now public. Experts had predicted that seniors would face a barrage of offers and ads from insurers, and that appears to be exactly what is happening. The result is "a great deal of confusion," largely because of the diversity of offerings. Insurers are following very different strategies to chase business, calculated to appeal both to thrifty consumers and those who want access to wider formulary options. The least expensive plan appears to be one offered by Humana in the Midwest with a premium of $1.87 per month. The most expensive plan, which costs about $99 per month, appears to sold by WellMark. Most plans, however, fall somewhere in between.

- see this article from The New York Times