Summary | World of Medicare

The Medicare drug plan, or Part D, offers prescription drug coverage to all people with Medicare who choose to enroll.
Private companies contract with Medicare to offer prescription drug coverage. Anyone who has Part A or Part B and lives in a plan’s service area is eligible to join the plan.
Medicare drug plan sponsors are nongovernmental entities under contract with CMS to offer prescription drug benefits. Each plan must give enrollees the information they need to decide their prescription drug coverage each year, including the plan’s service area, benefits, and covered drugs.
Drugs covered under the Medicare drug plan must be:
- Available only by prescription
- FDA approved
- Used and sold in the U.S.
Because many MA Plans offer drug coverage, MA enrollees usually can’t join a Medicare drug plan. If MA enrollees whose plans include drug coverage join a Medicare drug plan, they are disenrolled from their MA Plans and returned to Original Medicare.