For 2010, most PDPs do not offer gap coverage

MANAGED CARE December 2009. ©MediMedia USA

In 2010, most Medicare Part D plans are not offering gap coverage. This amounts to $3,610 in drug costs per member for plans offering the standard Medicare Part D benefit. By 2019, the gap is projected to widen to nearly $6,000.

Seven of the 15 national PDP sponsors do not offer gap coverage in any of their plans. Although more Medicare Advantage Part D plans than PDPs offer gap coverage in 2010, 48 percent do not, about the same as 2008 and 2009. The graphs depict the share of stand-alone and MA-PDP plans by type of gap coverage, with the number of plans represented by the vertical bars.

Source: The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. Medicare Part D 2010 spotlight data: The coverage gap. November 2009