Medicare Prescription Drug Plans (Part D)

Part D helps cover the cost of prescription medications — and the right plan depends entirely on which medications you actually take.

How Part D works

Not all drug plans are created equal

Each Part D plan has its own list of covered drugs (called a formulary) and its own pharmacy network. Two plans with similar premiums can produce very different costs depending on the specific medications you take.

Available as a standalone plan (paired with Original Medicare) or bundled into a Medicare Advantage plan
Formularies and pricing tiers vary widely between carriers
Preferred pharmacy networks can significantly lower your costs
Enrolling on time avoids a late-enrollment penalty added to your premium

Pharmacist working in a pharmacy surrounded by medicine shelves

The coverage stages

How your costs change through the year

Deductible.

You pay full cost (up to the plan's deductible, if any) before coverage kicks in.

Initial coverage.

You and your plan share the cost of covered medications, typically through copays or coinsurance.

Catastrophic coverage.

Once your out-of-pocket spending hits the annual cap, you pay $0 for covered Part D drugs for the rest of the year.

Bring your medication list

The single most useful thing you can bring to a Part D conversation is your exact medication list, dosages, and pharmacy. It lets us compare real plan costs instead of guessing.

Review it every year

Formularies and pricing change annually. A plan that was cheapest last year isn't guaranteed to be cheapest again — which is why we review Part D plans every Annual Enrollment Period.

Let's price your exact medications.

Bring your prescription list and we'll compare real plans available near you.

Compare Drug Plans