Costs & IRMAA
Medicare Advantage Drug Deductibles Tripled in Two Years, KFF Data Shows
The share of Medicare Advantage drug plan enrollees who face a prescription drug deductible climbed from 23 percent in 2024 to 82 percent in 2026, and the average deductible rose from 64 dollars to 371 dollars over the same period.
By the Goodsurance editorial teamSeptember 20, 2026
Data published by KFF in June 2026 documents a sharp shift in how Medicare Advantage prescription drug plans charge enrollees for medicine. In 2024, just 23 percent of Medicare Advantage drug plan enrollees faced a drug deductible, and the average among those deductibles was 64 dollars. By 2026, 82 percent of enrollees faced a drug deductible, with the average reaching 371 dollars, a 481 percent increase over two years.
The share of enrollees in plans that charged no drug deductible fell from 40 percent in 2025 to 18 percent in 2026.
From 2024 to 2026, the average Medicare Advantage drug deductible rose from 64 dollars to 371 dollars, and 4 in 5 enrollees now face one.
Despite the higher drug cost-sharing, monthly premiums for Medicare Advantage drug plans remained low. The average was 8 dollars per month in 2026, up from 7 dollars in 2025. Standalone prescription drug plan premiums fell slightly to an average of 36 dollars a month in 2026, down from 39 dollars in 2025. That gap, more than four times higher for standalone plans, persists in part because Medicare Advantage plans use federal rebate dollars to hold down their monthly drug premiums.
Total Part D enrollment across all plan types reached 56 million in 2026, with 31.4 million in Medicare Advantage drug plans and 24.9 million in standalone drug plans.
With the 2027 open enrollment period beginning October 15, beneficiaries comparing plans based on the monthly premium alone may overlook a deductible that now applies to the majority of Medicare Advantage drug plans. Reviewing a plan's drug deductible alongside its monthly premium gives a fuller picture of total cost.
In plain words
A KFF report from June 2026 shows that most Medicare Advantage drug plans now charge a drug deductible. That means you pay a set amount out of pocket before the plan starts covering your medicines. In 2024, only about 1 in 4 of these plans charged a deductible. By 2026, more than 4 in 5 do. The average deductible is now 371 dollars a year. The monthly premium for these plans is still very low, about 8 dollars. But a low monthly premium does not mean your drug costs are low. As open enrollment starts October 15, look at the drug deductible, not just the monthly premium, when comparing plans.
Understand the basics first
Source: KFF
Read at the source →