As of 2022, more than 50 million Medicare beneficiaries had prescription drug coverage through Medicare Part D. The total is split between those who have Part D coverage in conjunction with a Medicare Advantage plan (ie, a Medicare Advantage prescription drug plan — MAPD), and those who have stand-alone Part D prescription drug plans (PDPs), most of which are purchased to supplement Original Medicare.
The number of people with Part D coverage through an MAPD is now higher than the number of people with PDP coverage. As of September 2022, there were 27.2 million people with MAPD plans, and 23.4 million with PDPs.