PAN Foundation poll finds awareness of new Medicare Part D reforms has increased, but more education and outreach still needed

Today, the PAN Foundation’s Center for Patient Research released findings from a national poll exploring the awareness and knowledge levels among Medicare recipients following implementation of the new Medicare Part D cap and Medicare Prescription Payment Plan. The poll, conducted by The Harris Poll, is the second part of a two-part research project. Wave 1 of the polling, conducted in June 2024, measured awareness and knowledge levels before the new reforms went into effect on January 1, 2025.

Wave 2 of the polling finds that awareness of both reforms has increased by 27 percentage points since wave 1 last year, with 40 percent of respondents saying they are aware of the reforms. However, among those who are aware of the reforms, the level of familiarity remains low with just 11 percent reporting being extremely or very aware.

Other key findings

Medicare Part D Reforms

• Overall awareness of the Medicare Part D cap is up, with unaided awareness at 35 percent of Medicare beneficiaries, compared to just 11 percent in wave 1.
• However, of those who have heard of the Medicare Part D cap nearly four in ten (36 percent) do not feel they understand it well, similar to wave 1 findings.

Medicare Prescription Payment Plan

• Overall awareness of the Medicare Prescription Payment Plan is up, with unaided awareness at 25 percent of Medicare beneficiaries, compared to just 8 percent in wave 1.
• However, of those who have heard of the Medicare Prescription Payment Plan, four in ten (41 percent) do not feel they understand it well, similar to wave 1 findings.
• Only 1 percent of beneficiaries taking medications have already opted-in to the Medicare Prescription Payment Plan, with three in four (74 percent) unlikely to do so—an increase from wave 1.

Education and plan changes

• Nearly seven in ten beneficiaries (66 percent) are interested in learning more about the reforms.
• Nearly one in five (19 percent) beneficiaries changed their Part D plan during the 2024 open enrollment period, most commonly because the old plan’s premiums were too high, or the new plan offered more benefits.

“We’re happy to see educational efforts around the new Medicare Part D reforms, including the educational campaign the PAN Foundation launched last fall, are having an impact. But it’s clear that more needs to be done,” said Kevin L. Hagan, president and CEO of the PAN Foundation. “With most beneficiaries reporting they are interested in learning more about these Medicare reforms, we are committed to continuing our efforts to provide clear, easy-to-understand educational resources for patients, healthcare professionals, caregivers, and others.”

What is the Medicare Part D cap?

The first reform—the Medicare Part D cap—means that people with Part D plans through traditional Medicare and Medicare Advantage won’t pay more than $2,000 over the calendar year in 2025 in out-of-pocket costs for their prescription medications. The cap applies to all prescription medications covered by Part D plans and is automatic for all people enrolled in a Medicare Part D plan.

What is the Medicare Prescription Payment Plan?

The Medicare Prescription Payment Plan is a voluntary Medicare Part D payment program that lets patients spread their out-of-pocket prescription drug costs throughout the calendar year but won’t lower them. Patients can opt in to the program through both traditional Medicare and Medicare Advantage Part D plans and it is most appropriate for those who have a hard time paying their out-of-pocket drug costs all at once.

Patients can sign up for this payment option anytime throughout the year, including during Medicare Open Enrollment, but the best time to join is prior to the plan year or at the beginning of the plan year. This will give people more months to spread out their costs.

The need for education and awareness

PAN’s nationwide educational campaign about these new Medicare Part D reforms include English and Spanish language explainer booklets, animated explainer videos, and other resources. The goal of the campaign is to help ensure patients and their healthcare professionals understand the new reforms and how they may impact their own access and affordability.

Additional resources

PAN’s guide to recent Medicare reforms (English)

PAN’s guide to recent Medicare reforms (Spanish)

Read the complete results of the national polling

Polling methodology

The Wave 2 research was conducted online in the United States by The Harris Poll on behalf of PAN Foundation among 1,001 U.S. adults age 18+ currently on Medicare/Medicare Advantage. The survey was conducted January 6-22, 2025. Data are weighted where necessary by age by gender, race/ethnicity, region, education, marital status, household size, and household income to bring them in line with their actual proportions in the population.

Respondents for this survey were selected from among those who have agreed to participate in our surveys. The sampling precision of Harris online polls is measured by using a Bayesian credible interval. For this study, the sample data is accurate to within ±3.8 percentage points using a 95% confidence level. This credible interval will be wider among subsets of the surveyed population of interest.

All sample surveys and polls, whether or not they use probability sampling, are subject to other multiple sources of error which are most often not possible to quantify or estimate, including, but not limited to coverage error, error associated with nonresponse, error associated with question wording and response options, and post-survey weighting and adjustments.

About the PAN Foundation

As a leading charitable foundation and healthcare advocacy organization, the PAN Foundation is dedicated to accelerating access to treatment for those who need it most and empowering patients on their healthcare journeys. We provide critical financial assistance for treatment costs, advocate for policy solutions that expand access to care, and deliver education on complex topics—all driven by our belief that everyone deserves access to affordable, equitable healthcare.

Since 2004, our financial assistance programs have helped more than 1.3 million people to start or stay on life-changing treatment. In addition, we’ve achieved major policy victories that increase access to care, mobilized patient advocates to call for change, and educated people nationwide on critical healthcare-related topics. We’re committed to working towards a future where equitable health outcomes are a reality for all. To learn more, visit panfoundation.org.