Kentucky Medicare Part D Plans: The Best Plans
Updated October 29, 2021
Reading time: 5 minutes
Updated October 29, 2021
Reading time: 5 minutes
Drug costs can be expensive, especially if you’re paying out of pocket. Medicare prescription drug plans can be a great way to make costs more affordable. Discover the top Kentucky Medicare drug plans, and see how much you can expect to pay for benefits.
Medicare beneficiaries looking to make their drug costs more affordable may consider enrolling in a Medicare drug plan. These plans offer lower co-pays or coinsurance in exchange for meeting plan requirements and costs.
Medicare Part D prescription drug plans vary in cost and covered prescriptions, so it’s important to compare plans carefully to find the best match. Comparing plan eligibility requirements is important as well to make sure you find one with requirements you can meet.
Are you considering enrollment in a Medicare drug plan? See all the options available in your ZIP code with the Insurify Medicare comparison tool.
To help you find the best-fit plan for your budget and healthcare needs, see the top eight plans for Kentucky residents below. Plans were ranked based on several factors, including co-payments and other out-of- pocket costs, plan premiums, yearly deductibles, and the plans’ Medicare star rating.
Since each insurance plan is provided by a private insurer, you’ll need to check with the provider for more specific plan details. Provider websites typically provide a formulary for each plan detailing which prescriptions are covered. The plan’s formulary will also explain how much you can expect to pay for each covered prescription.
Premium: $26.50
Deductible: $445
Star rating: 4/5
The low prescription costs and reasonable monthly premium make this plan a top option. Tier 1 drug co-pays are $0–$6, Tier 2 are $2–$18, and Tier 3 are $30–$120. Tier 4 drugs require 34–41 percent coinsurance, and Tier 5 requires 25 percent coinsurance.
Premium: $17.70
Deductible: $445
Star rating: 4/5
Compared to the previous WellCare plan, this one has higher prescription costs but a lower monthly premium. Tier 1 drug co-pays are $0–$15, Tier 2 are $6–$33, and Tier 3 are $43–$141. Enrollees pay 47–50 percent coinsurance for Tier 4 drugs and 25 percent coinsurance for Tier 5 drugs.
Premium: $15.80
Deductible: $445
Star rating: 4/5
If you’re looking to keep monthly costs low, this plan has the lowest premium on the list. Tier 1 drug co-pays are $0–$24, Tier 2 are $5–$45, and Tier 3 are $40–$141. Tier 4 drugs require 46–50 percent coinsurance, and Tier 5 require 25 percent coinsurance.
Premium: $81.60
Deductible: $0
Star rating: 3.5/5
This plan is one of only two plans on the list with a $0 deductible. It has relatively high drug costs and the highest monthly premium on the list to balance out the costs. Tier 1 drug co-pays are $5–$45, Tier 2 are $10–$60, and Tier 3 are $45–$141. Enrollees pay 40–45 percent coinsurance for Tier 4 drugs and 33 percent for Tier 5 drugs. In the gap coverage phase, some Tier 2 drugs require $0–$60 co-pays instead of the typical 25 percent coinsurance for that phase.
Premium: $27.70
Deductible: $445
Star rating: 3.5/5
Particularly for the lower tiers, this plan has reasonable drug costs. Tier 1 co-pays are $1–$18, Tier 2 are $5–$30, and Tier 3 are $35–$120. Tier 4 drugs require 40 percent coinsurance, and Tier 5 drugs require 25 percent coinsurance.
Premium: $33.10
Deductible: $445
Star rating: 3.5/5
Drug costs in this plan are a bit high to balance out the mid-tier premium costs. Tier 1 drug co-pays are $0–$45, Tier 2 are $6–$60, and Tier 3 are $40–$141. Tier 4 drugs require 40–45 percent coinsurance, and Tier 5 require 25 percent coinsurance. In the gap coverage phase, some Tier 2 prescriptions require $6–$60 co-pays.
Premium: $25.30
Deductible: $300
Star rating: 3.5/5
This plan is one of the few on the list with a deductible below $445, yet it still offers reasonable prescription and premium costs. Tier 1 drug co-pays are $0–$15, and Tier 2 are $2–$21. The other tiers all require coinsurance: 20–22 percent for Tier 3, 38–41 percent for Tier 4, and 26 percent for Tier 5. In the gap coverage phase, Tier 1 co-pays are $0–$15, and Tier 2 are $2–$21.
Premium: $58.70
Deductible: $0
Star rating: 3.5/5
This plan is one of only two on the list with a $0 deductible, and it has higher prescription costs to balance that out. Tier 1 drug co-pays are $1–$45, Tier 2 are $3–$60, and Tier 3 are $43–$141. Tier 4 drugs require 45–50 percent coinsurance, and Tier 5 require 33 percent coinsurance.
Want to compare even more plan options? See plans from additional providers and find out how they stack up to the competition with the Insurify Medicare comparison tool.
Medicare Part D plans typically have some affordable options among them. The average cost for a plan premium is $32.
Prescription costs vary from plan to plan, and they’re also determined by which phase of the plan you’re in during the year. For example, the prescription costs listed above are for the initial coverage phase.
The initial coverage phase begins once you reach the plan deductible and lasts until you reach the initial coverage limit of $4,130 for the year. The limit also considers a combination of beneficiary and plan payments.
The catastrophic phase begins when you reach the $6,550 maximum for out-of- pocket costs. In this phase, drug costs are very low.
The gap coverage phase is the name for the gap between the previous two phases. It’s also known as the donut hole. In the gap coverage phase, you’ll typically pay 25 percent coinsurance for both brand-name and generic drugs.
Medicare Part D is a health insurance option for Medicare recipients that covers some of the costs of prescription medications. Private insurance companies provide prescription drug coverage, so plan benefits, requirements, and costs vary from plan to plan.
Because of the way plans differ, you’ll want to pay close attention to whether a plan you’re interested in has special requirements, such as only using preferred pharmacies. Using an online tool such as the Insurify Medicare comparison tool can make it easier to compare options from multiple providers.
You can either purchase a separate drug plan like one of the options above or get a Medicare coverage plan that includes drug benefits. If you choose the first option, you can add a stand-alone drug plan to options such as Original Medicare ( Medicare Part A and Part B ) or Medicare cost plans, some private fee-for-service plans, and medical savings account plans.
If you decide that you’d rather have more comprehensive health coverage, then consider Medicare Advantage plans. Also known as Medicare Part C, these plans combine Original Medicare with other benefits such as:
Vision
Dental
Hearing
Drug coverage
Skilled nursing facility care
Fitness programs
Travel benefits
If you have limited income or resources, the Low-Income Subsidy can help pay prescription drug plan costs. Also known as Extra Help, this program can cover some of your deductible, premiums, or co-pays and coinsurance. To learn more about qualifying for Extra Help, visit the Social Security Administration website, SSA.gov.
Medicare Supplement Insurance (Medigap) plans can be compatible with stand-alone drug plans if the Medigap plan doesn’t include drug coverage. If it does, you can still have both plans. However, you will have to inform your Medigap plan provider about your new drug plan so they can remove the drug coverage from your Medigap plan. Once they remove the drug coverage, you cannot add it back to your Medigap plan in the future.
To learn more about Medigap plan compatibility with drug plans, visit Medicare.gov. You can also find contact information on the site to reach a Medicare representative about your questions (with support for TTY users).
If you meet requirements for both Medicare and Medicaid programs individually, then you may qualify for dual enrollment (including enrollment in a drug health plan). Learn more about dual enrollment at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services website, CMS.gov.
Kentucky residents have a lot of options when it comes to Medicare Part D coverage plans. Even though not every plan in the state is available to each resident, there are several plans in each service area.
Since each plan is provided by a private insurance company, it can be difficult to compare all of your options. But taking the time to make those comparisons now can help you find the best plan for your budget and health needs.
Comparing drug plans doesn’t have to be a long and tiring process. You can see all of your options in one place and start comparing today with the Insurify Medicare comparison tool.
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Jasmine Fleming is a freelance digital content marketer and strategist. She loves crafting helpful content that readers can use to make important decisions. You can learn more about Jasmine at her website, www.jasminefleming.com.
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