Following the annual enrollment period for 2026, 56.1 million people — up from 54.6 million in 2025 — are enrolled in Medicare Part D, which includes standalone prescription drug plans and Medicare Advantage plans with prescription drug coverage, as of February.
On March 3, KFF published findings of its CMS data analysis, comparing MA-PD to PDP enrollment, looking across carriers and breaking down group versus non-group plans.
Here are five notes on Part D enrollment this year:
- Medicare Advantage plans dominated how people accessed Part D coverage. Of the 56.1 million Part D enrollees, 56% had MA-PDs and 44% had standalone PDPs.
- There was a dip in employer group MA-PD enrollment between February 2025 and 2026, the first year-over-year drop since 2010.
- PDP enrollees increased for the third consecutive year, up by 1.7 million from 2025. Group PDP enrollment went up by 1.2 million, the greatest year-over-year increase since 2013. Non-group MA-PD enrollment outpaced non-group PDP enrollment, which grew a bit in 2026.
- There was significant variation in PDP premiums, but the average monthly enrollment-weighted premium for non-group PDPs dropped from $39 to $36 year over year.
- Humana and Centene gained the most PDP enrollees, as a result of lowering premiums and offering low- or zero-premium options. CVS Health and Health Care Service Corp. lost PDP enrollees between 2025 and 2026, while UnitedHealth Group saw modest growth. The enrollment-weighted average premiums for these insurers’ non-group PDP offerings were higher in 2026 than in 2025.
