Our preliminary review of the 2022 Medicare Advantage plan landscape data released in late-September by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) shows, as in past years, over 90% of 2022 Medicare Advantage plans will include prescription drug coverage (MAPDs) and thirty-four percent (34%) of all 2022 Medicare Advantage plans that include drug coverage will have a $0 premium and $0 initial drug deductible (up from 30% of MAPDs in 2021) - and in 2022 more Medicare Advantage plans will also return or "Give Back" all or a portion of your Medicare Part B premium.

$0 Premium / $0 Deductible MAPD with a Part B premium Giveback:  The most economical Medicare Advantage plan option?

Finding a $0 premium Medicare Advantage plan with a $0 prescription drug deductible that includes a generous drug list (formulary), cost-sharing, supplemental benefits, healthcare network, and an acceptable maximum out-of-pocket spending limit (MOOP) is certainly hard to ignore when contemplating Medicare Advantage plans.

However, even better may be finding that, in your county, there are the same type of $0 premium/$0 deductible 2022 MAPD plans that also return a portion of your Medicare Part B premium or provide a "Giveback", "Dividend", or "Rebate" feature to plan members.

How does all this work?  One requirement for joining a Medicare Advantage plan is that you must be enrolled in both Medicare Part A and Medicare Part B.  Most people receive Medicare Part A coverage without cost based on past employment.  However, these same people pay a monthly Medicare Part B premium for their Medicare "out-patient" care.  However, with a $0/$0 Part B Giveback MAPD plan - you receive a portion of your Part B premium returned to you (from $1 to $148.50) - your monthly Medicare Advantage plan premium will still be $0, and you will have a $0 drug deductible - meaning you will actually have more money at the end of the month with the MAPD plan coverage.

More Part B premium Giveback Medicare Advantage plans in 2022 - but "Giveback" plans are not available everywhere.

In 2022, over 2,800 counties (or ZIP Code areas) include at least one Medicare Advantage plan with a Part B premium “Giveback” (equating to about 14,000 unique plan/county combinations of different 2022 Medicare Advantage plans) with the amount of the give-backs ranging from $1 up to $148.50.

As a comparison, in 2021, about 2,600 counties (or ZIP Code areas) included at least one Medicare Advantage plan with a Part B “Give Back” or refund (equating to about 9,500 unique plan/county combinations of different 2021 Medicare Advantage plans) with the amount of the give-backs ranging from $0.10 up to $144.60.

Please remember, the availability of Medicare Advantage plans (MA or MAPD) with Part B premium Givebacks will depend on where you live (County, ZIP Code area or partial-ZIP) - and, the amount of your Medicare Part B premium that you receive as a "Giveback" will also depend on your Medicare Advantage plan and the area of the country where you are located.

How can you find Medicare Advantage (MAPDs) in your area with a Part B premium Giveback?

We include the Part B premium Giveback information in our Medicare Advantage Plan Finder (https://MA-Finder.com/32084) - and you can choose how to view all Medicare Advantage plans in your area (county or ZiIPCode area) so that you can see if any plans offer a Part B premium Giveback.

As an older 2021 online example, here is a link to all counties in New York state and a total of the number of 2021Medicare Advantage plans:
https://q1medicare.com/2021/MedicareAdvantage-2021CHealthPlanMAPDHMOPPONewYork.php

And here is an “example” link to all 109 of the 2021 Medicare Advantage plans in Queens County, New York:
https://q1medicare.com/PartD-SearchMA-Medicare-2021PlanFinder.php?state=NY&countyCode=36081&showCounty=Queens

You will notice that Q1Medicare has a search “filter” for Medicare Part B Give-Back or rebate plans found at the top of our Q1Medicare Medicare Advantage Plan Finder (https://MA-Finder.com).

You can now "select" the Give Back filter and then also "select" the "Display Medicare Part B Giveback Amount" from the Additional Info box drop-down box, - after you click the green "Click to Find Plans" button, you can see the "Giveback Amount" in the right column.

So, in our example, when you “check” the “Part B Giveback plans” box at the top of the page, you will see that five (5) 2021 Medicare Advantage plans offer the Part B rebate in this county, --- then, when you change the “Additional Info” box to “Display Medicare Part B Giveback Amount”, you will see that the Part B premium rebates in the right-column range from $5 to $70 per month.

You can change the ZIP Code from Queens County, New York  to where you live to see plans in your area.

As another example below, the results of this search show both Medicare Advantage plans with drug coverage (MAPDs) and Medicare Advantage plans without drug coverage (MAs) in Brevard County, Florida.  The MAPDs have a $0 premium, a $0 prescription drug deductible, and Medicare Part B premium Giveback of $60 to $95.  The MAs have a $0 premium and a Part B premium Giveback of $75 to $144.


For more information, instructions for using the filter, and screen shots please see our Frequently Asked Question:
“Do any Medicare Advantage plans refund or give back a portion of my Medicare Part B premium?”: https://Q1FAQ.com/741.html.

As always, you can also call the plans for more Give-Back information (the telephone number for Member Services is available when you click on the plan name).

Need additional help finding a Medicare plan?

If you are unsure about your Medicare Advantage or Medicare Part D plan options, please contact a Medicare representative at 1-800-633-4227 (1-800-Medicare).