Medicare Part D: A First Look at Prescription Drug Plans in 2020

Table 1: Medicare Part D Stand-alone Prescription Drug Plans, Benchmark Plans, and Monthly Premiums, 2019 and 2020
Number of PDPs Number of Benchmark PDPs Weighted Average PDP Monthly Premium
State/territory 2019 2020 2019 2020 2019 2020
U.S. Total 901 948 215 244 $39.13 $42.05
Alabama 29 30 6 7 $41.65 $44.55
Alaska 22 24 7 7 $36.94 $38.93
Arizona 28 31 10 12 $38.29 $42.77
Arkansas 26 27 4 6 $34.30 $37.49
California 30 32 7 8 $43.50 $43.20
Colorado 26 26 7 7 $38.38 $42.36
Connecticut 26 25 7 7 $42.27 $44.78
Delaware 25 27 9 10 $39.33 $43.32
District of Columbia 25 27 9 10 $35.09 $36.37
Florida 27 27 2 4 $42.45 $45.72
Georgia 26 28 4 6 $36.77 $38.59
Hawaii 24 25 4 5 $32.15 $33.97
Idaho 26 28 8 8 $37.92 $42.37
Illinois 27 28 7 8 $39.01 $42.30
Indiana 26 28 7 7 $37.17 $40.33
Iowa 28 29 6 8 $34.36 $39.49
Kansas 26 28 4 6 $38.33 $39.51
Kentucky 26 28 7 7 $37.32 $39.33
Louisiana 26 26 8 9 $37.26 $39.50
Maine 26 26 7 6 $39.46 $40.12
Maryland 25 27 9 10 $37.75 $40.96
Massachusetts 26 25 7 7 $39.95 $42.37
Michigan 29 30 9 9 $37.18 $39.93
Minnesota 28 29 6 8 $34.98 $39.75
Mississippi 24 25 5 7 $34.46 $36.05
Missouri 26 28 4 5 $38.30 $41.33
Montana 28 29 6 8 $35.73 $40.50
Nebraska 28 29 6 8 $34.08 $38.76
Nevada 26 28 3 5 $36.63 $40.38
New Hampshire 26 26 7 6 $38.56 $40.76
New Jersey 26 28 6 8 $43.82 $49.10
New Mexico 27 26 7 7 $33.15 $36.15
New York 23 27 8 9 $44.13 $47.84
North Carolina 28 28 7 9 $38.97 $41.82
North Dakota 28 29 6 8 $34.37 $37.84
Ohio 26 28 7 2 $37.68 $41.43
Oklahoma 28 29 7 8 $40.43 $41.58
Oregon 26 28 7 8 $35.64 $38.80
Pennsylvania 30 31 9 10 $38.94 $42.23
Rhode Island 26 25 7 7 $39.21 $42.57
South Carolina 26 28 3 5 $36.63 $42.85
South Dakota 28 29 6 8 $33.70 $39.65
Tennessee 29 30 6 7 $38.36 $41.83
Texas 27 30 5 5 $36.34 $39.68
Utah 26 28 8 8 $39.91 $44.54
Vermont 26 25 7 7 $38.58 $42.25
Virginia 27 29 6 7 $40.00 $40.36
Washington 26 28 7 8 $37.36 $40.52
West Virginia 30 31 9 10 $40.04 $42.91
Wisconsin 28 30 8 9 $40.31 $45.53
Wyoming 28 29 6 8 $38.95 $43.21
Puerto Rico 6 6 $42.40 $52.03
American Samoa 1 1 $34.70 $43.40
Guam 2 2 $39.88 $45.38
Northern Mariana Islands 1 1 $37.20 $30.20
U.S. Virgin Islands 1 1 $42.60 $47.40
NOTES: PDP is prescription drug plan. U.S. total count excludes PDPs in the territories. Totals include sanctioned plans closed to new enrollees as of September of prior year. Average monthly premium is weighted by September 2019 enrollment. Benchmark plan counts include “de minimis” plans, which can retain Low-Income Subsidy beneficiaries despite exceeding the benchmark premium by a minimal amount (up to $2 in 2020). Benchmark plans are not shown for the territories because the LIS is not available to residents of the territories.

SOURCE: KFF analysis of Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services 2019-2020 Part D plan files.

Table 2: National Medicare Part D Stand-alone Prescription Drug Plans in 2020

PDP name

Type of plan

Benchmark PDP

Enrollment1

Weighted average monthly premium2

Number (in millions)

% of total

Top 10 in 2019

2019

2020

% change

ALL PDPs

20.49

100.00%

$39

$42

7%

AARP MedicareRx Preferred

Enhanced3

No

2.21

10.8

2

$75

$79

6%

AARP MedicareRx Saver Plus

Basic

Yes

1.25

6.1

5

$34

$32 -4%

AARP MedicareRx Walgreens

Enhanced

No

0.74

3.6

8

$28

$34 23%

Cigna-HealthSpring Rx Secure

Basic

Yes4

0.51

2.5

$32 $30 -5%

Cigna-HealthSpring Rx Secure-Essential

Enhanced

No

0.07

0.3

$22 $22 1%

Cigna-HealthSpring Rx Secure-Extra

Enhanced

No

0.15

0.7

$57 $57 <1%

EnvisionRxPlus

Basic4

Yes4

0.54

2.6

$17 $16 -3%

Express Scripts Medicare – Choice

Enhanced

No

0.05

0.2

$93 $83 -11%

Express Scripts Medicare – Saver

Enhanced

No

0.21

1.0

$24 $25 1%

Express Scripts Medicare – Value

Basic

Yes5

0.45

2.2

$35 $36 2%

Humana Basic Rx Plan

Basic

Yes4

1.57

7.7

$31

Humana Preferred Rx Plan

Crosswalked to Humana Basic Rx Plan

4

$31 -1%

Humana Premier Rx Plan

Enhanced

No

2.62

12.8

$57

Humana Walmart Rx Plan

Crosswalked to Humana Premier Rx Plan

3

$28 107%

Humana Enhanced

Crosswalked to Humana Premier Rx Plan

9

$76 -25%

Humana Walmart Value Rx Plan

Enhanced

No

New in 2020

$136

SilverScript Choice

Basic

Yes4

4.40

21.5

1

$31 $29 -7%

WellCare Classic

Basic

Yes4

0.89

4.3

7

$32 $29 -9%

WellCare Medicare Rx Saver

Basic

Yes4

1.17

5.7

$31

Aetna Medicare Rx Saver

Crosswalked to WellCare Medicare Rx Saver

6

$29 6%

WellCare Medicare Rx Select

Enhanced

No

0.70

3.4

$21

Aetna Medicare Rx Select

Crosswalked to WellCare Medicare Rx Select

10

$17 23%

WellCare Medicare Rx Value Plus

Enhanced

No

0.52

2.5%

$72

Aetna Medicare Rx Value Plus

Crosswalked to WellCare Medicare Rx Value Plus

$60 20%

WellCare Extra

Crosswalked to WellCare Medicare Rx Value Plus

$71 1%

WellCare Value Script

Enhanced

No

0.74

3.6%

$15 $17 14%

WellCare Wellness Rx

Enhanced

No

New in 2020

$146
NOTES: PDP is prescription drug plan. Analysis excludes enrollees in employer group plans. 1Enrollment as of September 2019, includes enrollees with and without low-income subsidies; for enrollees being crosswalked into new plan for 2020, enrollment is shown in the crosswalked plan. Top 10 in 2019 based on March 2019 enrollment. 2Weighted by September 2019 enrollment. 3In all regions except territories. 4In most regions. 5In some regions. 6Unweighted median because PDP is new for 2020.
SOURCE: KFF analysis of Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services 2019-2020 Part D plan files.
Table 3: Benefit Designs and Deductibles in Medicare Part D Stand-alone Prescription Drugs Plans, 2019 and 2020
2019 2020
Share of PDPs offering (number of plans1)
Basic benefits 39% (348) 40% (382)
Enhanced benefits 61% (553) 60% (566)
Standard deductible 52% (468) 69% (654)
Lower deductible 19% (170) 17% (161)
No deductible 29% (263) 14% (133)
Weighted average monthly PDP premium2
Basic benefits $31.97 $30.90
Enhanced benefits $48.76 $57.03
Standard deductible $31.54 $36.03
Lower deductible $33.93 $31.78
No deductible $75.37 $80.60
NOTES: PDP is prescription drug plan. 1Excludes plans in the territories. 2Weighted by September 2019 enrollment.
SOURCE: KFF analysis of Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services 2019-2020 Part D plan files.
Table 4: Median Cost Sharing for National Medicare Part D Stand-alone Prescription Drug Plans, 2019 and 2020
Plan name Formulary tier cost-sharing amounts
Preferred generics ($) Generics ($) Preferred brands1 Non-preferred drugs (%) Specialty tier drugs (%)
2019 2020 2019 2020 2019 2020 2019 2020 2019 2020
ALL PDPs $1 $0 $5 $3 $40/ 20% $42/ 25% 40% 38% 25% 25%
AARP MedicareRx Preferred 5 5 10 10 $40 $45 40% 40% 33 33
AARP MedicareRx Saver Plus 1 1 6 6 $25 $26 33 35 25 25
AARP MedicareRx Walgreens 0 0 5 5 $30 $40 32 32 25 25
Cigna-HealthSpring Rx Secure-Essential 1 0 3 2 20% 18% 49 43 25 25
Cigna-HealthSpring Rx Secure-Extra 4 4 10 10 $42 $42 50 50 31 31
Cigna-HealthSpring Rx Secure 1 1 3 2 $30 $30 36 36 25 25
EnvisionRxPlus 1 1 6 7 $34 $352 36 33 25 25
Express Scripts Medicare Choice 2 2 7 7 $42 $42 48 48 26 28
Express Scripts Medicare Saver 1 1 4 4 18% $30 32 47 25 25
Express Scripts Medicare Value 1 1 3 3 $25 $25 39 35 25 25
Humana Basic Rx Plan 0 0 1 1 25% 25% 37 38 25 25
Humana Premier Rx Plan 1 1 4 4 $47 $42 35 44 25 25
Humana Walmart Value Rx Plan n/a 1 n/a 4 n/a $47 n/a 35 n/a 25
SilverScript Choice 3 0 13 1 $42 $47 45 38 33 27
WellCare Classic 0 0 2 2 $37 $32 41 34 25 25
WellCare Medicare Rx Saver 1 0 2 2 $30 $28 35 38 27 25
WellCare Medicare Rx Select 0 0 2 3 $47 $47 40 42 25 25
WellCare Medicare Rx Value Plus 1 1 2 4 $47 $47 47 47 33 33
WellCare Value Script 0 0 6 7 $40 $43 46 47 25 25
WellCare Wellness Value Rx n/a 0 n/a 5 n/a $40 n/a 46 n/a 25
NOTES: PDP is prescription drug plan. Estimates are weighted medians for those plans that vary cost sharing by region (weighted by September 2019 enrollment). n/a is not applicable because plan is new for 2020. 1Approximately 91% of September 2019 enrollees are in plans with a preferred brand copay and 9% are in plans with a preferred brand coinsurance. 211% of EnvisionRxPlus enrollees will pay coinsurance of 15% for the preferred brand tier.

SOURCE: KFF analysis of Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services 2019-2020 Part D plan files.

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