Kaiser Family Foundation: 10 Things to Know About Medicare Part D Coverage and Costs in 2019

1. Medicare Part D enrollment has doubled since 2006, now totaling 45 million people in 2019
2. For the first time since the Part D program started in 2006, enrollment in stand-alone drug plans has decreased somewhat, while enrollment in Medicare Advantage drug plans continues to increase
3. Three firms—UnitedHealth, Humana, and CVS Health—cover nearly 60 percent of all Medicare Part D enrollees in 2019
4. CVS Health, UnitedHealth, and Humana have the most stand-alone PDP enrollees in 2019, but PDP enrollment in each firm decreased modestly from 2018
5. Based on enrollment decisions for 2019, the average monthly premium for stand-alone PDPs decreased by 4% in 2019 to $40, after several years of modest increases
6. Monthly premiums for the top 10 PDPs by enrollment vary, but most are lower than the national average
7. Most Part D enrollees face relatively low cost sharing for preferred generic drugs, but higher amounts for generics not on the preferred tier
8. For non-preferred drugs, most MA-PD enrollees face copayments while most PDP enrollees face coinsurance; for preferred brands, copayments are more common than coinsurance for both types of enrollees
9. In 2019, roughly 3 in 10 Part D enrollees receive low-income subsidies (LIS) to help pay their Part D premiums and cost sharing, but the share of enrollees receiving these subsidies has declined over
10. In 2019, around 1 in 10 low-income subsidy enrollees pay an average of nearly $24 per month for Part D coverage because they are not enrolled in a premium-free plan

Source: Kaiser Family Foundation
Source URL: https://www.kff.org/medicare/issue-brief/10-things-to-know-a...

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