Medicare Part D 2008 Data Spotlight: Premiums

This Medicare Part D data spotlight analyzes the premiums charged by the 1,824 stand-alone Medicare Part D plans that will be offered in markets across the country in 2008. The analysis finds premiums charged for Part D plans range widely, from $9.80 per month to $107.50 per month. The average monthly premium would increase from $27.39 in 2007 to $31.99 if enrollees remain in their current plans next year – a 17 percent increase. Nearly one in five of this year’s enrollees will experience an annual increase of at least $120 if they stay in the same plan next year. The data spotlight also looks at premium changes in the stand-alone plans with the highest enrollment this year and shifts in the overall marketplace.

The spotlight is one in a series analyzing key aspects of the Medicare Part D drug plans that will be available to beneficiaries in 2008. The analysis was conducted jointly by Jack Hoadley and Jennifer Thompson of Georgetown University, Elizabeth Hargrave and Katie Merrell of NORC at the University of Chicago, and Juliette Cubanski of the Kaiser Family Foundation.

Data Spotlight (pdf)