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On Tuesday, the Trump administration announced its plans to end a subsidy program for Medicare Part D, which has helped lower prescription drug costs for tens of millions of enrollees in the program for the past two years.

The Biden-era program provided subsidies to insurance companies, which in turn lowered the cost of drugs for seniors in Medicare. If repealed, many enrollees in the program could see their prescription costs increase by hundreds of dollars annually.

The announcement comes at a time when other costs, including for everyday consumer goods, have been increasing, too. The changes to Medicare Part D will go into effect at the end of this year.

According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, which made the announcement, a recent review of prescription drug bids from insurers purportedly shows that they will more accurately price their plans without the need for the subsidies. There don’t appear to be any more assurances, other than that determination, that costs won’t go back up.

“We are stabilizing the market so this bailout is no ​longer needed,” agency director Mehmet Oz said in a statement.

Our Health Care System Is Broken Beyond Repair. We Need Medicare for All.

Other experts, however, expressed a more worrisome tone about the future of the program.

“It’s certainly possible that without this enhanced financial support in place for 2027, some Medicare beneficiaries enrolled in [Part D plans] could face relatively steep premium increases for drug coverage next year,” said director of the KFF Program on Medicare Policy Juliette Cubanski, speaking to........

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