Medicare Part D: Stand-Alone Drug Plan Enrollment Continues to Rise

Total enrollment in stand-alone Medicare Part D prescription drug plans (PDPs) rose 4.5% between 2010 and 2011, to more than 18 million.

But stand-alone PDPs now account for about 63% of the Medicare enrollees with Part D drug coverage, down from 66% in 2010, according to Avalere Health L.L.C., Washington.

PDPs and other plans run by units of UnitedHealth Group Inc., Minnetonka, Minn. (NYSE:UNH), Humana Inc., Louisville, Ky. (NYSE:HUM), and Universal American Corp., Rye Brook, N.Y. (NYSE:UAM)., are handling about 43% of the Part D market this year, up slightly from 42% of the market in 2010.