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Your Medicare Advantage plan comparison is just one step away!
On the phone
Our licensed insurance agents can help you compare plans and keep your current doctor.
The Medicare Part D “donut hole” is a temporary coverage gap in how much a Medicare prescription drug plan will pay for your prescription drug costs.
The donut hole amount for 2022 is $4,430. Once you and your prescription drug plan have spent this amount on covered drugs, you enter the coverage gap called the donut hole.
Ever since 2020, Medicare Part D plan beneficiaries pay 25 percent of their brand name and generic drug costs while they’re in this coverage gap, or "donut hole."
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The Medicare donut hole coverage gap shrunk to its final cost level in 2020. We'll explain more below about what this means for your coverage.
The Medicare donut hole is one of four coverage levels (coverage periods) that are in a Part D prescription drug plan.
You enter the Medicare donut hole after your deductible period and your initial coverage period end and before you enter catastrophic coverage.
Some (but not all) Medicare Part D plans have a deductible, which is the amount of money you must spend on covered drugs before your Medicare drug plan coverage kicks in.
For example, if you have a Part D plan with a $200 deductible, you’re required to pay the first $200 of costs for covered drugs in a calendar year out of your own pocket.
Once you meet your deductible, your Part D plan helps pay for all covered drugs for the remainder of the year. In 2022, the maximum deductible allowed by law is $480 for the year.
Some Medicare prescription drug plans have a $0 deductible.
After you meet your plan deductible, you enter the initial coverage period.
After you meet your Part D deductible, you enter the initial coverage period. During this phase, you pay a copayment (flat fee) or coinsurance (percentage) for your covered medications.
Copayment and coinsurance amounts will vary by plan. Many plans will feature different amounts for generic and brand name drugs. You can check with your plan formulary (drug list) to learn more about what your costs might be for different drugs.
Generic drugs are typically on a lower tier and have lower costs than brand name drugs, which are typically on a higher tier.
Once you and your plan combine to spend $4,430 for drugs during the calendar year in 2022, you enter the donut hole coverage gap.
Once you enter the donut hole in 2022, your Part D plan’s coverage becomes more limited.
In 2022, you’ll pay no more than 25 percent of the price for brand name drugs and generic drugs while you’re in the donut hole.
You remain in this Part D donut hole coverage gap until you have paid $7,050 in out-of-pocket costs for covered drugs in 2022. You then enter the catastrophic coverage phase.
The Medicare Part D donut hole has been closing in recent years due to provisions in the Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as Obamacare.
The donut hole was set to disappear in 2020, but it closed faster for brand name drugs in 2019. This is because of the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018, signed into law by President Donald Trump.
Are you looking for Medicare Part D prescription drug coverage?
You can compare Part D plans available where you live and enroll in a Medicare prescription drug plan online when you visit MyRxPlans.com.
Once you reach the $7,050 threshold in 2022, you enter the final phase of Part D coverage. This is called catastrophic coverage.
During the catastrophic coverage phase, you only pay a small coinsurance or copayment for your covered prescription drugs for the remainder of the year.
All Medicare prescription drug plans are mandated to include the donut hole.
Medicare prescription drug coverage is regulated on a federal level by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
There is no insurance that provides coverage exclusively for the Part D donut hole.
Medicare beneficiaries may be able to help themselves avoid the donut hole by choosing less expensive generic drugs over brand-name drugs when possible, shopping for prescription drug discounts, buying drugs in bulk through mail-order services and utilizing Medicare Extra Help (see below).
If you have Medicare Extra Help, you will not face Part D donut hole costs.
Extra Help is an assistance program that helps lower the cost of Part D premiums, deductibles, coinsurance and copayments.
There is no coverage gap for Medicare beneficiaries who receive Extra Help.
A licensed insurance agent can help you learn about Medicare Advantage plans with Part D prescription drug coverage that may be available where you live.
Speak with a licensed insurance agent
Christian Worstell is a senior Medicare and health insurance writer with MedicareAdvantage.com. He is also a licensed health insurance agent. Christian is well-known in the insurance industry for the thousands of educational articles he’s written, helping Americans better understand their health insurance and Medicare coverage.
Christian’s work as a Medicare expert has appeared in several top-tier and trade news outlets including Forbes, MarketWatch, WebMD and Yahoo! Finance.
Christian has written hundreds of articles for MedicareAvantage.com that teach Medicare beneficiaries the best practices for navigating Medicare. His articles are read by thousands of older Americans each month. By better understanding their health care coverage, readers may hopefully learn how to limit their out-of-pocket Medicare spending and access quality medical care.
Christian’s passion for his role stems from his desire to make a difference in the senior community. He strongly believes that the more beneficiaries know about their Medicare coverage, the better their overall health and wellness is as a result.
A current resident of Raleigh, Christian is a graduate of Shippensburg University with a bachelor’s degree in journalism.
If you’re a member of the media looking to connect with Christian, please don’t hesitate to email our public relations team at Mike@tzhealthmedia.com.
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