Administration policy favors pushing beneficiaries into the much higher skim rates for Medicare Advantage, rewarding big campaign contributors in the insurance industry. Goosing Medicare Part D premiums is one way to do it.
{{ The premium stabilization demonstration will continue for another year under the Trump administration, but with reduced support to PDP sponsors in 2026. The monthly premium subsidy will be reduced from $15 to $10, and the limit on the PDP monthly premium increase will rise to $50 for 2026, up from $35 for 2025. The risk corridor component of the demonstration is being eliminated.
In announcing these changes, CMS states that it is “facilitating the [Part D] program’s return to operating under regular market conditions.” Increasingly, however, these regular conditions appear unfavorable to the ongoing stability of the stand-alone prescription drug plan market, further tilting the playing field for coverage towards Medicare Advantage. }}
I just checked the Medicare Part D drug plan finder tool on the Medicare website.
I had Wellcare’s ValueScript plan for 2025 with a $0/month premium and the copay’s for the year on the three drugs I take was $60.
I’m now taking 6 drugs in 2026, 5 of them are “preferred generics” with a $0 copay for a 90-day mail order supply. The 6th drug which had a $15 copy for a 90-day supply in 2025 now only has a $9 copay, so my total cost for the year will drop to $36.
While the "preferred generics’ are a bargain, Wellcare has a reputation for price gouging elsewhere. They wanted to charge me $87 for a tube of ointment my dermatologist prescribed that Mark Cuban’s Cost Plus Drug Company sold for $18.
I’m pretty sure that Wellcare’s bet is that most people aren’t going to price check against GoodRx or Mark Cuban before letting Wellcare fill a prescription.
intercst, I haven’t looked yet, but in your scanning have you noticed if there are still $0 per month Part-D plans that will be offered ? I don’t have any prescriptions cost, but am definitely signing up for some type of Part-D, till the end of me. I have no doubt that sooner or later I’ll be needing to purchase some type of medicine, so will bite the bullet if I have to pay a monthly “cost of admission” type fees in the early years.
The Wellcare ValueScript plan I have is a $0/month premium for 2026. I’m pretty sure it’s offered nationwide. Check to see if it’s offered in your zipcode.