Medicare Part D

Bothell Part D enrollees can spread 2026 drug costs across the year: how it works

BOTHELL, Wash. — If you take a costly prescription and dread that first pharmacy bill of the year, Medicare now offers a way to space those out-of-pocket costs across 12 monthly payments instead of paying them all at the register. It is called the Medicare Prescription Payment Plan, and it is available to anyone with a Part D drug plan, including the drug portion of a Medicare Advantage plan.

Medicare Part DBothell, WA

The option started in 2025 and continues in 2026. Bothell is in King County, where Part D plans are sold under the same federal rules as everywhere else in the country, so this program works the same way here as it does statewide.

What the payment plan actually does

The program spreads your share of prescription costs — copays and coinsurance at the pharmacy counter — across the rest of the calendar year in monthly bills from your drug plan. Instead of paying, say, several hundred dollars for a single fill in January, you pay $0 at the pharmacy and your plan sends you a monthly statement.

This is a payment-timing tool. It is not a discount, a subsidy, or a new benefit. You still owe the same total for the year. The plan simply becomes your billing middleman.

Who tends to benefit

According to CMS, the program is designed for people who face high drug costs early in the year and would rather budget in even chunks. That often includes:

• People taking a high-cost brand-name drug where cost-sharing hits hundreds of dollars per fill.
• People who expect to reach the $2,100 annual out-of-pocket cap, and would rather not pay most of it in the first few months.
• People on fixed monthly incomes who find predictable bills easier to plan around than uneven pharmacy charges.

For someone whose yearly drug costs are low — a few generics, for example — the program usually adds paperwork without changing much. CMS notes that people whose highest costs fall late in the year may see less benefit, since there are fewer months left to spread the bill across.

What it will not do

It will not reduce your copay, your deductible, or your premium. It will not change which drugs are covered. It will not help with drugs your plan does not cover at all, and it does not apply to Part B drugs (those given in a doctor's office).

If you already qualify for Extra Help (the low-income subsidy), CMS generally suggests staying with Extra Help, which lowers actual costs rather than just rescheduling them.

How to opt in — or out

Every Part D plan and every Medicare Advantage plan with drug coverage is required to offer this option. To join:

• Call the number on the back of your plan member ID card and ask to enroll in the Medicare Prescription Payment Plan.
• Or ask through your plan's website or member portal.
• Plans must process your request; if you sign up before the plan year starts, it takes effect Jan. 1. If you sign up mid-year, plans generally have 10 calendar days to process it.

You can opt out at any time. If you stop, you still owe any balance already billed, but future pharmacy costs go back to being paid at the counter.

The 2026 numbers to keep in mind

Two federal figures shape how this program feels in practice:

• The Part D annual out-of-pocket maximum is $2,100 in 2026. Once you hit it, you pay $0 for covered drugs for the rest of the year.
• The Part D deductible can be no higher than $615 in 2026, though many plans set it lower.

Because of the cap, the most you would ever spread across monthly bills in one year is $2,100 — and often less.