Five ways to lower your prescription costs this year
From the Part D cap to Extra Help and pharmacy choice, practical steps that trimmed our clients' drug bills in 2026.
Mei Lin HarperJuly 30, 2026, 6 min read
Prescription costs are the number one reason people call us mid-year. The rules for Part D have changed a lot recently, and several of those changes work in your favor if you know how to use them. Here are five steps we take with clients, in the order that usually saves the most.
1. Compare total yearly cost, not premiums
A $0 premium plan can easily cost more over a year than a plan with a $40 premium. What matters is which tier each of your drugs sits on, whether there is a deductible on those tiers, and how your pharmacy is priced. We enter your full list, with doses, and look at the twelve-month total.
2. Use a preferred pharmacy
Most Part D plans have preferred pharmacies with lower copays. The difference on a single brand-name drug can be $30 or more per fill. Many Tucson clients save simply by moving refills from one chain to another, or to 90-day mail order for maintenance medications.
- Ask your plan which pharmacies are preferred in your ZIP code.
- Use 90-day supplies for drugs you take long-term.
- Keep all prescriptions at one pharmacy so interactions are checked.
3. Know about the yearly cap
Part D now has a yearly out-of-pocket cap on covered drugs, set at $2,100 for 2026. Once you reach it, you pay nothing more for covered Part D drugs for the rest of the year. If you take an expensive specialty medication, this cap may be the single most important number in your plan.
4. Spread costs with the Prescription Payment Plan
The Medicare Prescription Payment Plan lets you pay your out-of-pocket drug costs in monthly installments across the year instead of all at once at the pharmacy counter. It does not lower the total, but it can make a large January bill manageable. You can opt in through your Part D or Advantage plan.
A client with a $2,100 January bill now pays about $175 a month instead. Same total, much less stress.
5. Check whether you qualify for Extra Help
Extra Help, also called the Low-Income Subsidy, lowers premiums, deductibles and copays for people with limited income and resources. Many people who qualify never apply because they assume their savings or home disqualify them. Your home, one car and personal belongings do not count as resources.
- Apply online through Social Security or call us for help with the form.
- People with AHCCCS or a Medicare Savings Program qualify automatically.
- Extra Help also gives you a monthly Special Enrollment Period to change drug plans.
Ask about generics and alternatives
Finally, bring your plan's formulary to your next doctor visit. Sometimes a lower-tier drug in the same class works just as well. Your doctor can also request a formulary exception if a drug you truly need is not covered.
If your drug costs feel too high, send us your list. A drug cost review takes about 20 minutes and there is no charge.
This guide is general education, not individual advice. Figures are samples and can change each year. Not affiliated with or endorsed by the U.S. government or the federal Medicare program.
