Medicare Part D 2009 Data Spotlight: Premiums

This Medicare Part D data spotlight analyzes the premiums charged by the 1,689 stand-alone Medicare Part D plans that will be offered in markets across the country in 2009. The analysis finds premiums charged for Part D plans range widely, from $10.30 per month to $136.80 per month. If current enrollees remain in their current plan for next year, the weighted average monthly premium for PDPs would increase by $7.40 per month, from $29.89 in 2008 to $37.29 in 2009. 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 2009. The analysis was conducted jointed by Jack Hoadley and Jennifer Thompson of Georgetown University, Elizabeth Hargrave of NORC at the University of Chicago, and Juliette Cubanski and Tricia Neuman of the Kaiser Family Foundation.

Data Spotlight (.pdf)