doughnut hole

Unlike many private health plans, Medicare has no cap on out-of-pocket expenses for prescription drugs in Part D. As the cost of specialty drugs rises, some Medicare patients owe thousands of dollars.

Sometimes a drug plan's copay is higher than the cash price, but insurance rules keep pharmacists from telling Medicare beneficiaries unless they ask.

Last month's congressional budget deal included some benefits for Medicare recipients that may reduce their drug expenses and increase the coverage for certain therapies.