Medicare Part D

Browse the best Medicare Part D plans. Open enrollment. View plans & prices!


Medicare is a government assistance program that provides Medicare plans that give coverage to senior citizens or disabled persons. There are several kinds of coverage plans that applicants can receive with Medicare, depending on his or her needs. There is Medicare Part A and B which are known as Original Medicare. This healthcare covers hospital insurance and medical insurance. Next, there is the Medicare Advantage plan, also known as Medicare Part C.

Medicare Part D Plans 2023

When you compare Medicare Original and MA plans, the MA plans will have Parts A and B included. These two differ when looking at who provides the coverage. MA plans are covered by private companies that have been approved by Medicare. The last of the Medicare insurance plans are Medicare Part D. In order to get prescription drug coverage, you need to choose a Prescription drug plan from Medicare and will have to pay for a monthly premium. These plans are also run by Medicare-approved private companies.

Medicare plans have helped millions of Americans afford the medical attention they need. When you are applying for Medicare, you will notice that there are several parts to it. These parts all come together to provide you with the health care coverage that you need. Additionally, certain parts of Medicare are not included, which is especially true for Medicare Part D. Part D is prescription drug coverage provided by Medicare-approved private insurance companies. Because it is an optional benefit, these plans will have certain caveats to them. In this guide, you will learn about plans, how to compare Medicare plans, costs, and more. Continue on to read the sections below to gain a comprehensive understanding of Medicare Part D.


Eligibility for Part D Medicare

In order to be eligible for Medicare Part D, or Medicare plans in general, you need to meet the requirements for Medicare. You can only enroll during certain times of the year and not doing so can result in a late enrollment penalty. In order to qualify for Medicare, you must fall under one of the three categories:

·       Be 65 years of age or older

·       Be disabled

·       Have end-stage renal disease

These are qualifiers for Medicare Parts A and B, which you will need in order to receive Part D Medicare. Once you have been found eligible for Parts A and B, you must choose between Original Medicare or obtaining an MA plan. Choosing Original Medicare will mean that you have to pay a monthly premium for prescription drug coverage. Meanwhile, choosing an MA plan may mean that Part D is already included in your plan. 

Plan D Medicare Coverage and Costs

The kind of Medicare Part D coverage and what you will have to pay can vary from plan to plan. All plans for Plan D Medicare are offered by private companies. Generally, Medicare Part D will cover self-administered drugs, which can be included in the drug formulary of your Medicare Part D insurance plan. Part D will also cover generic drugs which are copies of brand-name drugs that have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). 

The coverage for the drug cost will depend on which tier these drugs land on in the prescription drug plan. For more Medicare Part D information, one of these plans may set up their drug plan in three tiers. The first tier may the lowest copayment and the lowest tier will typically have the most generic prescription drugs. The higher the tier, the higher the copayment and the more well-known the brand. There may be cases where there are specialty tiers that have a really high cost. In this case, you can file an exception to lower the copayment.

For Medicare Part D 2022, the standard Plan D Medicare has changed its costs for benefits. There are minor benefit increases in the initial deductible, which is up by $20, and the initial coverage limit, which has increased by $200. The out-of-pocket threshold has also increased from $5100 to $6,350 for 2020.


Compare Medicare Part D Plans

If you are trying to find and compare plans, the Medicare website has some tools that allow you to find Part D Medicare plans. For instance, they have the Medicare Plan Finder. Using your location and personal information, it will look for plans that will suit your medical needs.

It is important to remember while comparing choices to see which plans fit with any other health care coverage you already have. Talk to your insurer about how Part D fits in and if you need to make any changes to your current health care plan.