An older friend of mine suffers from severe itching. Only one prescription ointment works for him. A two-ounce tube costs $408 at the pharmacy, but his Medicare drug plan doesn’t cover it. Other Medicare drug plans, though, would leave him with a copay as low as $10.

Another Medicare beneficiary I know has Parkinson’s disease. Under his Medicare plan, he would have a $291 copay for a month’s supply of a vital drug. Under another plan, his copay would be as low as $9.

Is your head spinning? Mine is. Fortunately, there is some method to this madness. And for Medicare recipients, now is the time to understand it.

Read more on the Boston Globe website