Kaiser Family Foundation – “Current enrollees in stand-alone Medicare Part D plans are projected to face an average 9 percent increase in premiums if they remain in their current plan for 2017, according to an analysis released today by the Kaiser Family Foundation. During Medicare’s 2017 open enrollment period, which runs from Oct. 15 through Dec. 7, Medicare beneficiaries in each state will have a choice of 22 stand-alone Part D drug plans (PDPs), on average. This is fewer than in any year since 2006 but still a substantial number of options, finds the analysis, Medicare Part D: A First Look At Prescription Drug Plans in 2017, which was co-authored by researchers at Georgetown University and the Foundation. If enrollees stay in the same plan next year, average monthly premiums are projected to rise to $42.17 in 2017 – a 9 percent increase from $38.57 this year. As in years past, average premiums are expected to vary across the plans with the largest enrollment, ranging from $16.81 to $71.66 per month in 2017. Monthly premiums also vary across states, from a low of $31.27 in New Mexico to a high of $50.95 in New Jersey, on average.”