Good News for 2013: The average monthly Medicare Part D plan premium remains about the same. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recently announced that the national average weighted monthly premium for 2013 Medicare Part D prescription drug plans would remain almost unchanged from the current 2012 average premium of around $30 a month. You can click here if you wish to read the full Medicare News Release.
As a reference, here are the CMS estimated weighted average monthly premiums since the beginning of the Medicare Part D program with links to their respective CMS News or Press Releases (rounded to the nearest dollar):
Please remember: The minor change in the 2013 weighted average monthly premium does not mean that your current 2012 Medicare Part D plan premium will remain the same next year.
Rather, the 2013 average is suggesting that seniors will be able to shop around and find a 2013 Medicare prescription drug plan with about the same monthly premium. And more importantly, be sure to remember that your drug plan's prescription drug coverage (that is, what drugs are covered and at what price) can change every year, even if your monthly premium stays the same.
You can click here to read our comments and more about the average weighted Medicare Part D premiums from an earlier Q1Medicare.com Blog.
We will bring the actual 2013 monthly Medicare Part D premiums online once they are released by CMS (near the end of September). If you would like us to send you an email when the new Medicare plan information is online, please click here for our email reminder service.
Do you still have a question about your Medicare Part D coverage?
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