The federal agency that runs Medicare says 93% of beneficiaries who do not get low-income help will be able to buy an enhanced Part D drug plan for less than $6 a month in 2027. CMS Administrator Mehmet Oz made the claim in the agency’s Sept. 28 announcement of 2027 plan costs, with Open Enrollment running through Dec. 7. The figure measures access to a low-priced plan, which is a different thing from what most people in stand-alone drug plans will pay.
Open Enrollment is the yearly window when anyone on Medicare can change drug coverage for the following January. Oz urged beneficiaries to “review their coverage, compare options, and pick the plan that best suits their needs and budget.” For people in a stand-alone plan, the choice matters more than the headline number suggests.
What the 93% figure covers
In its announcement of 2027 Medicare costs, CMS said 93% of non-low-income beneficiaries will have access to an enhanced Part D plan at less than $6. Enhanced plans go beyond the basic benefit that Congress sets for every Part D plan. In the same release, CMS said 88% of that group will have access to a basic plan at $10.30 or less.
Non-low-income means people who do not get Extra Help, the federal program that pays most Part D costs for people with limited income. That group pays the full plan premium out of pocket. CMS counts access, meaning a plan at that price is offered where a person lives, and does not say how many people are enrolled in those plans.
For anyone who takes regular prescriptions, the real question is whether a plan priced under $6 covers their particular drugs at their own pharmacy. A low premium says nothing about the deductible or the copayment on a single medication. The Medicare Plan Finder on Medicare.gov lets people enter their drug list and pharmacy and see the estimated 2027 total cost of each plan, which is the comparison that decides whether a cheap premium is cheap.
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Why the stand-alone average barely moves
CMS projects the average monthly premium for stand-alone drug plans will rise from $35.09 in 2026 to $36 in 2027, an increase of less than $1. Oz said that “by slashing handouts to big insurance companies, CMS is keeping premiums stable.” The agency described the market as returning to normal conditions after a federal support program wound down.
That program was the Part D Premium Stabilization Demonstration, a voluntary arrangement for stand-alone plans that began in 2025. A CMS fact sheet dated July 28 says the demonstration ends at the close of 2026 because plan sponsors have enough experience under the redesigned benefit to support their 2027 bids. The same fact sheet sets the 2027 base beneficiary premium at $41.33 and notes that its yearly growth is capped at 6% through 2029.
Plans that bundle drug coverage into Medicare Advantage move the other way. CMS projects the average Part D premium inside those plans, after insurer rebates, falls from $11.32 in 2026 to $7 in 2027, a drop of $4.32 or 38%. People in a stand-alone plan do not get that break.
Where stand-alone premiums climb
A KFF analysis published Oct. 30 looked plan by plan. It found the lowest average national premium belongs to Wellcare Value Script Rx at $6.50 a month, followed by Wellcare Classic at $10.90, and that no stand-alone plan is priced at $0 in 2027. Premiums differ by region, and KFF’s figures are national averages.
At the high end, AARP Medicare Rx Preferred averages $204.50 a month nationally and the Humana Premier Rx Plan $137.40. KFF estimates the enrollment-weighted average premium would reach $51 in 2027, up from $34 in 2026, if every current member kept the same plan. It expects the real figure to land lower once people switch during Open Enrollment.
KFF says about 55% of non-low-income members who stay put would pay under $20 a month, while nearly 30% would pay $100 or more. Anyone in a stand-alone plan that charged nothing in 2026 will pay something in 2027. Choice has narrowed as well: the average beneficiary has nine stand-alone plans to pick from, and eight are sold in all 34 plan regions.
Deductibles and the Extra Help exception
The deductible is the other half of the cost. The standard Part D deductible rises to $700 in 2027 from $615, and KFF puts the average stand-alone plan deductible at $643, up from $540. Virtually all stand-alone members, 99.8%, face one, so the first purchases of the year at the pharmacy are billed at full plan prices.
After the deductible, cost sharing varies by drug tier. KFF’s median figures are a $4 copay for preferred generics, $20 for other generics, 25% coinsurance for preferred brands and specialty drugs, and 35% for non-preferred drugs. A person on one costly brand-name medication can spend far more on coinsurance than the premium difference between two plans.
People who qualify for Extra Help sit outside most of this. Medicare.gov says Extra Help comes automatically with full Medicaid, a state Medicare Savings Program or SSI, and everyone else applies. In 2027 it means no deductible, copays of up to $5.80 for a generic and $14.40 for a brand-name drug, and $0 per covered drug once total drug costs reach $2,400.
The 2026 Extra Help limits listed on Medicare.gov are $23,940 in income and $18,090 in resources for an individual, and $32,460 and $36,100 for a married couple. People just above those lines pay the full premium and deductible, which makes the stand-alone comparison worth the time.
CMS and KFF are describing the same market from two sides. The agency counts how many people can reach a low-priced plan, and KFF counts what happens to people who never leave the plan they have. Anyone who takes more than one or two medications gets a firm answer only by running the actual list through the Plan Finder before Dec. 7.
Does the under-$6 plan cover the drugs on the list?
A plan priced under $6 can still carry a $700 deductible and 35% coinsurance on a non-preferred brand. The premium is the smallest line on a year of prescriptions for anyone on a costly medication, and Dec. 7 is the last day to change it.
The 2027 Medicare Open Enrollment Decision Kit includes a cost calculator spreadsheet that compares plans on cost, drugs and doctors, and a prescription-by-plan comparison that lines up each medication against each plan. The calculator is an Excel workbook that totals premium, deductible and copays for the plans on the shortlist.
Get the plan-by-plan prescription comparison and cost calculator →
This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.
