I am new to Medicare and do not use any prescriptions, but don't want any future penalty, should I just join a Medicare Part D plan or Medicare Advantage plan with the cheapest monthly premium?

Selecting your Medicare plan · published Nov 7, 2015

Yes, or you may wish to consider a low premium $0 deductible plan. If you are not using any medications and just want to avoid the permanent late-enrollment premium penalty, you may want to join a Medicare prescription drug plan with the lowest premium. The 2016 stand-alone Medicare Part D plan with the lowest monthly premium in most states is the Humana Walmart Rx Plan (PDP) with a $18.40 monthly premium in every state. The Humana Walmart Rx plan has a $360 initial deductible, but tier 1 and tier 2 generics are exempt from the deductible.

If you prefer a stand-alone Medicare Part D plan with no deductible (or $0 initial deductible), then you might consider the SilverScript Choice (PDP) that has a monthly premium ranging from $11.40 in Arkansas to $39.90 in Alaska.

In addition, you can use our MA-Finder to see if there are 2016 Medicare Advantage plans in your area that include prescription drug coverage and have even lower or $0 monthly premiums. For example, there are two (2) Medicare Advantage plans in Allegheny County, PA that have a $0 monthly premium and a $0 deductible. The 2016 Community Blue Medicare HMO Signature (HMO) even has a $0 co-pay for tier 1 generics.