Whether or not you decide to have Medicare Part D prescription drug coverage is entirely up to you. The government will not force you to enroll. But even though it is your choice, if you are late in enrolling for a plan, you may be hit with lifetime penalties. The penalty amounts to an additional 1 percent a month of the basic Part D premium for each month that you are late enrolling. For someone who is four years late, that’s 48 percent more each month for life! In this lesson’s seven-minute video you will learn how to avoid penalties, and pick the best plan based on the medications you take.