The health policy think tank urged seniors to shop carefully for prescription drug plans during Medicare open enrollment.

The sharp increase in the cost of Part D coverage is the latest sign of how runaway healthcare costs are eating into the pocketbooks of ordinary Americans. Policy may have also played a role, after the Trump administration ended a program that limited premium increases early.

Roughly 25 million seniors get prescription drug coverage through standalone Medicare Part D plans. Three-fourths of Part D enrollees who don’t qualify for financial help — 10.4 million seniors — will pay a higher premium next year if they don’t change their plan, the KFF found.

That includes more than 4 million seniors who are currently enrolled in prescription drug plans with zero monthly premiums, because there are no zero-premium prescription drug plans available in 2027, according to the KFF.

The cheapest standalone Part D plan on offer is Centene’s Wellcare Value Script Rx, with an average premium of $6.50. The most expensive is United’s AARP Medicare Rx Preferred, with an average monthly premium of $204.50.

That wide variance in costs makes it extra important that seniors take a look at their options and consider changing coverage, instead of allowing their existing plan to roll over next year, the KFF said.

“With some plans increasing premiums substantially, the stakes are higher this year for people with Medicare stand-alone drug coverage if they sit on the sidelines during open enrollment,” Juliette Cubanski, the director of the KFF’s Program on Medicare Policy, said in a statement.

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