People in traditional Medicare who buy separate prescription drug coverage will have fewer choices in South Carolina next year.
Eight stand-alone Part D plans will be sold in the state in 2027, down from 11 this year, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ 2027 plan list, last updated Oct. 18. The agency’s 2027 plan crosswalk lists three plans as terminated or not renewed: CVS Health’s SilverScript Choice, BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina’s BlueCross Rx Value and HealthSpring Extra Rx.
Those three plans had about 52,600 South Carolina members in October, according to CMS enrollment data. That includes about 4,900 in Charleston County, 1,600 in Berkeley County and 1,200 in Dorchester County. In Charleston County, that is about one in five members of the 11 stand-alone plans sold in the state this year, a Charleston Business Report analysis found.
Some plans that remain are raising premiums sharply. UnitedHealthcare’s AARP Medicare Rx Preferred, which had about 2,400 Charleston County members, goes from $139.20 a month to $234.20. Its AARP Medicare Rx Saver goes from $122.10 to $235.30. HealthSpring Assurance Rx moves the other way, from $152.50 to $15.50.
Centene’s Wellcare Value Script, the state’s largest stand-alone plan with about 152,000 South Carolina members, including about 10,800 in Charleston County, will cost $5.30 a month, up from $4.80. Humana’s three plans carry 4.5-star Part D ratings for 2027, the highest among the state’s stand-alone plans.
The annual cap on what enrollees pay out of pocket for covered drugs rises to $2,400 next year from $2,100, and the standard deductible rises from $615 to $700, The Associated Press reported. A temporary federal subsidy that has helped offset Part D premiums ends at the close of this year, the AP reported.
Medicare’s open enrollment period runs through Dec. 7. Changes take effect Jan. 1.
