Part D Out-of-Pocket Cap: Limited Impact, Low Cost

  • Mar 24, 2022

    A small share of Medicare Part D beneficiaries without access to the low-income subsidy (LIS) program would benefit from the introduction of a $2,000 out-of-pocket (OOP) spending cap for prescription drugs, a provision that is included in the Build Back Better Act, according to a recent Urban Institute analysis. In 2019, a $2,000 cap could have saved approximately 866,000 non-LIS Part D enrollees about $900 each, on average. There are 32.8 million total non-LIS enrollees in the Part D program. The cap would carry a small price tag, increasing total Part D expenditures by $782 million in 2019 and the premium across all Medicare beneficiaries by $4.35 annually. The study concluded that capping out-of-pocket costs for certain Part D beneficiaries would enhance the program without significantly raising costs. Read more
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  • Jinghong Chen

    Jinghong has been producing infographics and data stories on employer-sponsored insurance, public health insurance programs and prescription drug coverage for AIS Health’s Health Plan Weekly and Radar on Drug Benefits since 2018. She also manages AIS Health’s annual executive compensation database for top insurers and Blue Cross and Blue Shield affiliates. Before joining AIS Health, she interned at WBEZ, Al Jazeera English and The New York Times Chinese. She graduated from Missouri School of Journalism with a focus on data journalism and international reporting.

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