Drug prices & Part D
CMS Confirms the 2027 Medicare Part D Base Premium at 41 Dollars and 33 Cents as a Federal Stabilization Subsidy for Drug Plans Ends
The confirmed base premium equals the maximum 6 percent annual increase the Inflation Reduction Act allows, but consumer advocates warn that actual plan-level premiums, which are set above that floor, are likely to climb sharply once a temporary federal subsidy expires at year-end.
By the Goodsurance editorial teamJuly 30, 2026
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services formally confirmed on July 28, 2026, that the base beneficiary premium for Medicare Part D will be 41 dollars and 33 cents for calendar year 2027. The figure equals the maximum 6 percent annual increase allowed under the Inflation Reduction Act, which caps growth in the base premium through 2029.
The base beneficiary premium is not the amount most enrollees pay directly. It is the national benchmark from which each plan's premium is derived. Individual stand-alone prescription drug plans and Medicare Advantage drug plans set their own premiums, which can differ substantially from the base figure depending on each plan's benefit design and underlying cost projections.
The 2027 Medicare drug plan base premium is confirmed at 41 dollars and 33 cents, but a subsidy keeping actual plan prices down is ending, pointing to higher real-world premiums.
Medicare Rights Center, a nonprofit consumer advocacy organization, noted on July 30 that the confirmation came alongside the administration's decision to discontinue the Part D Premium Stabilization Demonstration after December 31, 2026. That voluntary program, which began in 2025, provided stand-alone drug plan sponsors additional subsidy payments to help hold premiums lower while they adjusted to the Inflation Reduction Act's redesigned benefit. CMS stated that plan sponsors now have sufficient market experience to bid without the extra support.
Medicare Rights Center cautioned that without the subsidy, sponsors must reflect their true underlying costs in 2027 premiums, which could push plan-level charges well above the 6 percent cap that applies only to the base benchmark. Enrollees should watch for their plan's Annual Notice of Change, which plans must mail by September 30, 2026, and compare options during the October 15 through December 7 open enrollment window.
In plain words
Medicare has set the floor for 2027 drug plan premiums at 41 dollars and 33 cents per month. A federal law says this number can go up no more than 6 percent per year, and that is exactly what happened.
But this floor is not what most people pay. Each drug plan charges its own price, which can be higher than the floor.
This year, the government paid drug plan companies extra money to help keep their prices down. That extra payment ends December 31, 2026. Next year, drug plans must charge what they truly cost to run, so many plan-level premiums could rise faster than 6 percent.
If you have a stand-alone Medicare drug plan, look for your Annual Notice of Change letter by late September. It will show whether your plan's price is going up. You can shop for a different plan during open enrollment, October 15 through December 7.
Understand the basics first
Source: Medicare Rights Center
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