A demographic profile of Medicare Part D beneficiaries

This 2021 report highlights the demographic characteristics of beneficiaries with prescription drug coverage under Medicare Part D, a voluntary coverage offered by private plan sponsors. We evaluated multiple metrics with a focus on ethnicity, income, and education levels across the standalone prescription drug plan (PDP) and Medicare Advantage prescription drug (MAPD) plan populations. Our analysis shows that:

• Approximately one in three Part D beneficiaries are full subsidy
• Almost half reported being married
• Approximately 80% have at least a high school education
• More than seven out of 10 are non-Hispanic white