10 Things to Know About Medicare Part D Coverage and Costs in 2019

Table 1: Top Firms Offering Medicare Part D Plans Ranked by 2019 Enrollment

Name of firm 2019 Enrollment Percent of total
Part D enrollment
PDP MA-PD Total
UnitedHealth Group 5,108,180 5,215,144 10,323,324 23%
Humana 4,299,086 3,473,709 7,772,795 17%
CVS Health 5,979,883 1,602,402 7,582,285 17%
WellCare Health Plans 4,015,902 531,189 4,547,091 10%
Cigna 3,237,013 433,296 3,670,309 8%
BCBS* 998,355 2,037,224 3,035,579 7%
Kaiser Permanente 1,575,636 1,575,636 4%
Anthem BCBS 428,699 647,159 1,075,858 2%
Total, top firms 24,067,118 15,515,759 39,582,877 88%
Total Part D 25,152,764 19,773,155 44,925,919 100%
NOTE: PDP is prescription drug plan. MA-PD is Medicare Advantage prescription drug plan. Includes enrollment in the territories and employer group plans. Number may not sum to total due to rounding. *BCBS excludes Anthem BCBS, which is a separate plan sponsor.
SOURCE: KFF analysis of Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services 2019 Part D plan files.

Table 2: Medicare Part D Cost-Sharing Amounts by Plan Type and Formulary Tier, 2019

PDP MA-PD
Formulary tier Minimum Median Maximum Minimum Median Maximum
Preferred generic $0 $1 $10 $0 $2 $15
Generic $0 $5 $20 $0 $10 $20
Preferred brand copayments $19 $40 $47 $0 $47 $47
Preferred brand coinsurance 10% 20% 25% 15% 22% 25%
Non-preferred drug copayments $70 $70 $93 $5 $99 $100
Non-preferred drug coinsurance 25% 40% 50% 24% 45% 50%
Specialty 25% 25% 33% 25% 31% 33%
NOTE: PDP is prescription drug plan. MA-PD is Medicare Advantage prescription drug plan. Cost-sharing amounts are weighted by enrollment. Excludes enrollees in employer-only group plans and Special Needs Plans. Excludes plans with missing data.
SOURCE: KFF analysis of Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services 2019 Part D plan files.
Data Note

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