Medicare members who pay nothing for a Humana Basic Rx drug plan this year will pay something in 2027 if they stay put. A KFF analysis of the 2026 and 2027 Medicare plan landscape files from CMS finds that Humana Basic Rx enrollees in 28 states face increases of $6.30 to $30.60 a month. The finding covers people who paid no premium in 2026 and do not get Extra Help, the low-income subsidy for drug costs.
Who faces the Humana Basic Rx increase?
The brief, published October 2, 2026 by KFF researchers Juliette Cubanski, Nancy Ochieng and Meredith Freed, looks at stand-alone Part D plans, the drug-only policies that go with Original Medicare. It reports that Humana Basic Rx members in 28 states pay $6.30 to $30.60 more per month if they keep the plan. The size of the increase depends on the state, because Part D premiums are set by region.
The group affected is narrower than every Humana member. People who receive Extra Help are not counted in these figures, and neither are people who already pay a premium for the plan. A member who is unsure which group applies can check the 2027 premium for their plan in the Medicare plan finder.
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What about Humana’s other plans and the competition?
KFF finds the same pattern in two other drug plans. HealthSpring Assurance Rx enrollees in 11 states who paid no premium in 2026 face increases of $9.30 to $14.70 a month. Humana Value Rx members in five states who paid no premium face increases of $17.20 to $22.30.
Wellcare Value Script, a plan with 5.9 million non-Extra Help enrollees in 2026, is $5.30 a month in 45 states for 2027. Those enrollees in 29 states will see reductions from less than $1 up to $17.50 if they keep the plan, while those in 22 states will see increases from less than $1 to $5.30. Separately, Wellcare Value Script members who paid no premium in 16 states face a $5.30 monthly increase. KFF also says there will be no $0-premium stand-alone plans for people without Extra Help in 2027.
Is a cheaper plan available by December 7?
Open enrollment for 2027 coverage runs from October 15 through December 7, 2026, and a member who switches plans in that window avoids the Basic Rx increase. Medicare’s plan finder lets a member enter their own drug list and see 2027 premiums and drug costs plan by plan. The premium is only one part of the bill, since the plan’s coverage of a person’s specific drugs and pharmacy decides what is paid at the counter.
Fewer choices are coming. KFF reports the number of stand-alone plans available to the average beneficiary falls from 11 in 2026 to 9 in 2027, and total stand-alone drug plans fall from 360 offered by 17 parent organizations to 316 offered by 15. CMS estimates the average monthly premium for these plans rises $1, from $35 to $36, so a $30.60 jump is far above the average move.
What the CMS landscape files show for one state
The state-by-state premiums come from CMS’s 2027 landscape state fact sheets, which list the plans and premiums available in each state. Because Part D premiums are set by region, the same plan can cost very different amounts from one state to the next, which is why the Humana Basic Rx increase runs from $6.30 at the low end to $30.60 at the high end.
The open question for a Humana Basic Rx member is whether the plan that cost nothing in 2026 is still the cheapest way to cover the same prescriptions at $6.30 to $30.60 a month more, with the switch deadline on December 7.
Is your Humana Basic Rx premium worth keeping at 2027 prices?
A member who stays in Humana Basic Rx without comparing could pay $6.30 to $30.60 more each month starting January 2027, with no way to undo it until the next open enrollment.
The 2027 Medicare Open Enrollment Decision Kit includes a cost calculator spreadsheet that compares plans on cost, drugs and doctors, plus a prescription-by-plan comparison. Part 5 holds the plan-comparison worksheets, so the keep-or-switch reason is written down before December 7.
Compare Part D plans against Basic Rx in the Open Enrollment Decision Kit →
More Financial Reading
- 21 Ways to Stretch a $2,087 Social Security Check
- 15 Places to Find Your Share of the $4.25 Billion States Give Back
- 17 Medicare Money Moves Now That Part D Caps at $2,400
This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.
