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Like thousands of retirees, Jude Pare headed south for the winter expecting to come home to the same Medicare coverage he left behind. Instead, he returned to find his prescription drug plan had been canceled over just $28.80 in missed premiums — leaving him without coverage for a medication that could cost roughly $1,800 every 90 days out of pocket.
Pare, who lives in rural Minnesota with his partner Diane Tix, told KFF Health News (1) that he never realized his previously free Medicare drug plan had started charging a monthly premium while they were away in Arizona.
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When they eventually found a letter from Wellcare explaining that his coverage had been canceled after three months of unpaid premiums, there was no way to reverse it. Under Medicare’s rules (2), he can’t enroll in another drug plan until the next enrollment period, leaving him facing medication costs in the meantime.
"He could bleed to death without it," Tix told the news outlet.
A costly surprise
Pare wasn’t alone. KFF Health News reported that thousands of people enrolled in Wellcare’s Value Script (3) prescription drug plan were caught off guard after their previously free plans began charging monthly premiums. A KFF Health News analysis also found that thousands more beneficiaries in 32 states and Washington, D.C., could face similar surprises next year if they don’t notice changes to plans that currently have no monthly premium.
One of them is 74-year-old Wayne Bennett of Durham, North Carolina. Bennett told KFF Health News he lost his Wellcare prescription drug coverage after failing to pay a new $3.60 monthly premium he didn’t realize he owed.
“Medicare should be doing something about this so that we can go ahead and get coverage now,” Bennett said.
Bennett takes nine prescription medications to manage his health conditions. Although he was able to refill most of his prescriptions before his coverage ended, he says he doesn’t know what they’ll cost once his current supply runs out.
The financial impact is already hitting other beneficiaries. A March 2026 KFF poll (4) found that four in 10 U.S. adults have cut back on their medications in some way because of cost, including skipping doses or leaving prescriptions unfilled.
Since losing his coverage, Pare said he has paid $111 out of pocket for four medications that were previously covered under his Value Script plan. His doctor also switched him from a blood thinner to a lower-cost alternative and he still doesn’t know what several upcoming prescription refills will cost.
Bennett said he was ready to pay the overdue premium as soon as he learned about it, but by then his coverage had already been canceled.
“The premium wasn’t that much, and I was ready to pay it right off the bat. I had my credit card out ready to make the payment,” he said.
Since Bennett doesn’t qualify for a special enrollment period, he may have to wait until the next enrollment period to regain prescription drug coverage.
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What the Medicare changes mean for beneficiaries
The premium increases are one consequence of the biggest overhaul (5) of Medicare’s prescription drug benefit since Part D launched in 2006. The redesign capped what most beneficiaries pay out of pocket for prescription drugs at $2,000 a year (6) and shifted more of the cost burden to insurers and Medicare.
As insurers adjusted to the new rules, some stand-alone Part D plans that previously charged no monthly premium began requiring one instead. In a statement to Moneywise, Centene, Wellcare’s parent company, said “some members in our Value Script plan experienced a premium for the first time or for the first time in several years.”
Centene said it notified members of the changes through the required Annual Notice of Change, along with additional reminders by mail, phone, email and text before the new premiums took effect.
“We recognize how disruptive a loss of coverage can be and are committed to helping members understand their options,” a Centene spokesperson said.
Many beneficiaries automatically renew their Medicare drug plans each year, making changes to premiums easy to overlook. It’s a reminder to review your coverage during open enrollment each fall (7). Even if a plan’s name stays the same, premiums, deductibles, covered medications and pharmacy networks can change from one year to the next.
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Article Sources
We rely only on vetted sources and credible third-party reporting. For details, see our ethics and guidelines.
KFF Health News (1), (5); Medicare (2); Wellcare (3); Kaiser Family Foundation (4); Medicare Advocacy (6); Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (7)
This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.
