Medicare Part D News In Brief

Executive Summary

Part D status in MedPAC report to Congress: Ninety percent of Medicare beneficiaries had some sort of prescription drug coverage as of January 2010, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission says in its annual report to Congress, released March 1. The report includes a discussion of the status of Part D, where it is noted that among Medicare beneficiaries, 59 percent receive drug benefits through a Part D drug plan and 32 percent have drug coverage that is at least as generous as Part D through an employer or other source. While the number of stand-alone drug plans declined 7 percent in 2010, beneficiaries in each coverage region still have from 41 to 55 plan choices; 317 premium-free plans are available to enrollees who receive the low-income subsidy