Popular Medicare Drug Plan Prices Rise

Rates for the Medicare Part D prescription drug plans with the highest market share are set to increase about 10% in 2011.

When Medicare program managers announced the 2011 rates earlier this week, they emphasized that overall Medicare Advantage rates were falling an average of 1%, and that most enrollees who are now in a Medicare Advantage plans will continue to have access to Medicare Advantage plans, in spite of decisions by some major carriers to withdraw from the market.

Avalere Health L.L.C., Washington, a health care analysis firm, has analyzed Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services premium data for another component of Medicare, stand-alone Medicare Part D prescription plans, and it says premium change figures for those plans depend heavily on the universe of plans considered.