North Carolina man kicked off Medicare drug plan for not noticing $0 premium went up to $3.60 — now he's paying out of pocket

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, 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 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 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.

What the Medicare changes mean for beneficiaries

The premium increases are one consequence of the biggest overhaul 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 and shifted more of the cost burden to insurers and Medicare.