I am enrolled in a Medicare Part D drug plan. Did the ACA make changes to my Medicare drug coverage?

Yes, the law included changes that could save you money if you have very high prescription drug costs.  If you are enrolled in a Medicare Part D plan and you have very high drug costs, the law is helping to reduce the costs you pay when you reach a gap in coverage that is sometimes referred to as the “doughnut hole.”  This gap in coverage is being phased out between now and 2019 for brand-name drugs.  If your total drug costs are more than $3,820 in 2019, after that point you will pay 25% of the cost of your brand-name drugs and 37% of the cost of your generic drugs.  In 2020, you will pay 25% for both brand-name and generic drugs.

The law also included a new requirement that people on Medicare with higher incomes pay a higher premium for Part D coverage.  These higher premiums are paid by single beneficiaries enrolled in Part D plans with incomes greater than $85,000 and married couples with incomes greater than $170,000.