Drug prices & Part D
With Open Enrollment Weeks Away, Medicare Rights Center Recaps What the Inflation Reduction Act Has Delivered for Part D in 2026
An August 27 analysis from the Medicare Rights Center outlines the drug law's current protections, including a first-ever Part D out-of-pocket cap and ten negotiated drug prices that took effect in January.
By the Goodsurance editorial teamAugust 30, 2026
With the 2027 Medicare Annual Enrollment Period less than seven weeks away, the Medicare Rights Center published an analysis on August 27 recapping the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022's changes to Part D prescription drug coverage and their current impact for beneficiaries.
Before the law's passage, Medicare Part D had no hard annual limit on what a beneficiary could owe out of pocket for covered drugs. Starting in 2025, the IRA established a cap, and the Medicare Rights Center notes that for 2026 that cap stands at 2,100 dollars, aligning Part D's protection with the limits long available in Medicare Advantage drug plans.
Ten Medicare-negotiated drug prices are now in effect for 2026. Here is what the 2022 drug law means for Part D enrollees heading into open enrollment.
Ten drugs selected in the law's first round of Medicare price negotiation entered the market at their negotiated prices on January 1, 2026. The medicines treat conditions including blood clots, diabetes, heart failure, autoimmune disorders, and certain cancers. CMS projected the negotiated prices would reduce what Part D enrollees pay out of pocket by 1.5 billion dollars annually and reduce Medicare's own drug spending by 6 billion dollars per year.
The analysis also notes that a third cycle of negotiations is now under way, covering fifteen additional drugs, with final prices expected later this fall.
The Medicare Rights Center highlighted open enrollment as the moment when beneficiaries should review their plan's drug formulary, verify their specific medications are covered at the lowest available cost-sharing tier, and confirm the plan passes through negotiated savings at the point of sale.
In plain words
The Medicare Rights Center explained what the 2022 drug law has done for people with Medicare Part D in 2026. There is now a limit on how much people pay for drugs in a year. In 2026, that limit is 2,100 dollars. Ten drugs that Medicare negotiated also cost less starting in January. A third round of negotiations is underway for fifteen more drugs. Open enrollment starts October 15. That is the time to check whether your drug plan still covers your medicines at the best price.
Understand the basics first
Source: Medicare Rights Center
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