As was
true in past years, many 2018 stand-alone Medicare Part
D prescription drug plans will be increasing their monthly premiums in 2019. In fact, based on current Medicare plan enrollment, around
13.2 million Medicare beneficiaries will see their stand-alone 2018 Medicare Part D premiums increase in 2019.
More specifically, over
4.5 million Medicare beneficiaries currently enrolled in stand-alone 2018 Medicare Part D prescription drug plans (
PDPs) will see
at least a 20% increase in their monthly premium if they stay enrolled in their current plan into 2019.
Some of the largest 2019 Medicare Part D plan increases are highlighted in the table below:
Highlights of the Larger 2019 stand-alone Medicare
Prescription Drug Plan
Premium Increases
|
2019 Plan Name |
2018
Premiums |
2019
Premiums |
Premium Increase |
Percent Increase |
States |
Members Affected |
Blue Cross MedicareRx Basic (PDP) |
Ranging from
$18.90-$26.40 |
Ranging from
$30.70-$49.70 |
up to
$30.80 |
up to 163% |
NM IL OK TX |
139,002 members will see at least a 31% premium increase. Members in NM will see a 163% premium increase |
Humana Walmart Rx Plan (PDP) |
Ranging from $18.40-$20.40 |
Ranging from $22.20-35.70 |
up to $15.30 |
up to 75% |
all states |
2,287,638 members will see at least a 20% increase in premium |
First Health Part D Value Plus (PDP) crosswalked to the Aetna Medicare Rx Value Plus (PDP) |
$66.70 |
$114.80 |
48.10 |
72% |
OK |
8,183 members |
SilverScript Choice (PDP) |
Ranging from $16.40-$53.30 |
Ranging from $23.20-$49.50 |
up to $8.40 |
up to 41% |
13 states |
1,913,372 members in 13 states will see at least a 20% increase
|
Good News for Some Members:
Approximately 6.2 million Medicare beneficiaries will see a decrease in
their 2019 Medicare Part D plan premium. The largest decrease is the
California EnvisionRxPlus plan where the premium will fall from $50.00 in 2018 to $12.90 in 2019.
You can use our
PDP-Compare
and
MA-Compare
tools to learn more about how 2018 Medicare Part D and Medicare
Advantage plans are changing in 2019. Our PDP-Compare and MA-Compare
show changes in all 2018/2019 stand-alone Medicare Part D prescription
drug plans
(PDPs) and Medicare Advantage plans (MAs or MAPDs) across the country
and include changes in
plan features such as premium, deductible, cost-sharing and formulary
size changes.
Our Medicare plan compare tools also highlight 2018 plans that will be
merged or
discontinued in 2019 and new plans that will be
added in 2019.
Reminder: If you are using several brand-name
medications or an
expensive specialty medication,
your monthly Medicare plan premiums may not be a significant
part of your annual medication costs. Be sure to consider the entire
cost of your drug coverage when choosing a Medicare plan: premiums,
co-payments, co-insurance, Donut Hole coverage, and Catastrophic
Coverage.
Not sure whether your 2018 Medicare plan is still the most economical 2019 plan option?
Medicare beneficiaries can telephone Medicare at 1-800-633-4227, speak
with a Medicare representative, and learn more about Medicare plan
coverage and their 2018 Medicare Part D and Medicare Advantage plan
options.