Best Medicare Part D Plans for Connecticut Beneficiaries in 2024

We found the 24 best Medicare Part D Plans in Connecticut. Sign-up for 2024 Medicare Part D plan notification HERE.

We also ranked the best Medicare Advantage plans with Part D in Connecticut for 2024.

Connecticut Medicare Part D Plans Have Four Phases

Medicare prescription drug plans are designed to help Medicare beneficiaries pay for their prescription drugs. Some of the cost-sharing concepts of these plans are foreign to new Medicare beneficiaries, so let's look at the four phases.

Phase 1 is the Deductible

Prior to a plan paying any of your prescription costs, you are required to pay the annual deductible. So, if you enroll in a 2023 plan with a $400 deductible, you'll spend $400 out-of-pocket before coverage begins. Most Medicare Part D plans have a deductible, but some plans exclude Tier 1 (generics), offering immediate coverage on low-cost medications.

NOTE: $505 is the maximum deductible a plan can have in 2023.

Phase 2 is the Initial Coverage Limit

For 2023, the Part D Initial Coverage Limit (ICL) is $4,660. Your Part D plan will pay the bulk of your prescription cost during the ICL phase. If your costs exceed $4,660, then you will be in the coverage gap phase (aka "doughnut hole")

Phase 3 is the Coverage Gap

After your gross drug costs have reached $4,660, you will enter the Coverage Gap phase. This is where you will pay 25% of your medication's retail cost. While the price of generic drugs might not be much different, what you pay for brand-name drugs will be higher (because you're paying 25% of the full price). This will continue until you reach $7,400 in True Out Of Pocket Costs (TrOOP).

Some plans offer additional gap coverage, so look for it on the plan information pages.

The Fourth Phase is Catastrophic Coverage

After you have spent $7,400 in true out-of-pocket costs on your medications, you get out of the coverage gap phase and you automatically receive "catastrophic coverage". In this phase, you will only have to pay a small percentage of coinsurance or payment on covered drugs for the rest of the year.

The out-of-pocket costs that help you get catastrophic coverage include:

1. Your plan's deductible;
2. What you paid during the initial coverage limit period;
3. Most of the full cost of brand-name drugs (and the manufacturer’s discount) purchased in the coverage gap;
4. The amount paid by others, including family members, most charities, and other persons on your behalf; and
5. The amount paid by State Pharmaceutical Assistance Programs (SPAPs), AIDS Drug Assistance Programs, and the Indian Health Service.

Choose Your Part D Plan with Care

Don't make a decision on your choice of Part D Medicare plans based on the premium and deductible alone. It's critical that you verify that your medications are covered. You find this information, and the co-payment tiers, in the formulary. On each PDP page (above) we post links to the formulary and pharmacy web pages, and the phone numbers to contact the plan.

VITAL: Identifying the best Medicare Part D Plans requires research. What works the best for you is all about your regular prescriptions (if any), your health, and what you can afford.

Get Your Prescriptions and More with a Medicare Advantage Plan

Your Medicare benefits are flexible, and there's more than one way to get prescription drug coverage. If you want to keep your Original Medicare, you can enroll in one of the stand-alone prescription drug plans available in Connecticut. The other way to get Part D coverage is to enroll in one of the many Medicare Advantage Plans available in Connecticut that include Part D benefits.

Medicare Part D and Medicare Supplements Work Together

Medicare does not pay for all of your hospitalization and medical bills. In fact, Original Medicare only covers about 80 percent of your major medical costs. We keep an up-to-date directory of Connecticut Medigap Plans, also called Medicare Supplements, with the tools you need to find the best price and coverage. Medicare Part D plans are fully compatible with Connecticut Medigap plans.

Connecticut Medicaid and Your Medicare Part D

In Connecticut, if you are eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid (aka, "dual eligible" or "Medi-Medi") you will automatically be enrolled in a Connecticut Medicare Prescription Drug Plan and the Social Security Extra Help program. Extra Help pays for most of the costs of your prescriptions if you meet the eligibility requirements. You may also enroll in a plan of your own choosing that better meets your needs. If you qualified for Medicaid before you were eligible for Medicare, contact your local Medicaid office.

Plans Offered

Medicare Advantage and Part D plans and benefits offered by the following carriers: Aetna Medicare, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, Aspire Health Plan, Centene Corporation, Dean Health Plan, Devoted Health, GlobalHealth, Health Care Service Corporation, Cigna-HealthSpring, Humana, Molina Healthcare, Mutual of Omaha, Oscar Health Insurance, Premera Blue Cross, Medica Central Health Plan, SCAN Health Plan, Scott and White Health Plan now part of Baylor Scott & White Health, and UnitedHealthcare.

Citations & References

1. Medicare.gov, "How Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage Works with a Medicare Advantage Plan or Medicare Cost Plan", Last Accessed September 28, 2022
2. Medicare.gov, "How Part D works with other insurance", Last Accessed July 14, 2022
3. Medicare.gov, "Medicare costs at a glance", Last Accessed September 11, 2022
4. Medicare.gov, "What's Medicare Supplement Insurance (Medigap)?", Last Accessed June 7, 2022
5. SSA.gov, "Extra Help with Medicare Prescription Drug Plan Costs", Last Accessed June 1, 2022
6. CMS.gov, "Landscape Source Files", Last Accessed January 15, 2023
7. CMS.gov, "Medicare Part C & D Performance", Last Accessed January 15, 2023