Due to how a group Medicare Part D plan is funded by the federal government, manufacturer co-pay cards and manufacturer-driven programs (e.g., PrudentRx) are not legally allowed to be used with it. While this may increase costs for some retirees, moving to this plan will allow the County the financial flexibility to keep providing competitive benefits for future years. Additionally, Medicare Part D includes a $2,100 maximum out-of-pocket (MOOP) which accumulates using 25% of the total drug cost; this means Harris County members will likely reach the $2,100 MOOP much quicker than expected, at which point your eligible drug costs will be $0 for the remainder of the year.
Life After Retirement
You’ve helped serve Harris County, and upon retirement many of your benefits will continue to serve you. Along with your annual Retiree Benefits Guide, use this page as a resource for retiree information and to find featured events.
Retiree Medical Plan Options
Harris County retiree medical plans now have three options available: Aetna Base PPO, Aetna Plus PPO and Humana Medicare Advantage PPO.
Your Medicare eligibility as a retiree or covered spouse determines which plan options are available for you. You may enroll in separate plans based upon your Medicare eligibility.
Non-Medicare-Eligible Retiree, Spouse and/or Covered Children
- Aetna Base PPO Plan
- Aetna Plus PPO Plan
Medical-Eligible Retiree and/or Spouse
- Aetna Base PPO Plan
- Aetna Plus PPO Plan
- Humana Medicare Advantage PPO Plan
Plans Overview
Aetna Base & Plus PPO Plans
Coordinates benefits with Medicare Parts A & B. Since Medicare is the primary insurance, it must pay benefits first before the Base or Plus PPO plan will pay benefits. The plan will pay benefits as if Medicare Part B paid first even if you are not enrolled in Medicare Part B. This will cause a gap in your coverage if you do not enroll in Medicare Part B as a retiree.
Humana Medicare Advantage PPO & Prescription Drug Plan
A Medicare Advantage plan pays in place of Medicare. The Humana Medicare Advantage plan covers all that Original Medicare covers plus additional benefits customized by Harris County in addition to prescription drugs. You are required to enroll in Medicare Parts A & B to be eligible.
For more information about our Humana Medicare Advantage PPO offering, visit our Humana page.
Find complete details and premium costs in your Retiree Benefits Guide >
SilverScript Employer Prescription Drug Plan (PDP)
Effective February 1, 2026, Medicare-eligible retirees and their covered, Medicare eligible dependents now have a new prescription drug plan, SilverScript Employer PDP sponsored by Harris County (SilverScript). SilverScript is an employer-provided group Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Plan with additional coverage provided by Harris County. The plan is offered by SilverScript Insurance Company which is affiliated with CVS Caremark, Harris County’s current pharmacy benefit manager.
SilverScript combines a standard Medicare Part D prescription drug plan with additional coverage provided by Harris County to close the gaps between the standard Part D plan and your current coverage. This means that you have more coverage than the standard Medicare Part D plan.
If you are enrolled in the Harris County Base Plan or Plus Plan for medical coverage, effective February 1, 2026, the SilverScript Medicare Part D plan automatically replaces your current CVS Caremark pharmacy benefits. You may receive a letter from CVS Caremark telling you that your current prescription drug coverage is being terminated or that you are being “unenrolled” from that plan. There will be no interruption in your prescription drug coverage.
PLEASE READ: If you are enrolled in other plans outside of Harris County
If you are currently enrolled in a different Medicare prescription drug plan, a Medicare Advantage (MA) HMO or PPO plan (Part C) or Medicare Advantage Prescription Drug Plan (MAPD) that is NOT provided by Harris County, enrolling in SilverScript will cancel your enrollment in the other plan.
Please consider your options:
-
- Do nothing. You are enrolled in Harris County’s SilverScript plan and unenrolled from your other Medicare Advantage plan or Medicare prescription drug plan.
- Opt out of Harris County’s SilverScript plan by the date listed in your letter. Please make sure you have creditable prescription drug coverage or you will be at risk of the Part D Late Enrollment Penalty from CMS.*
If you have a Medicare Advantage only plan (with no prescription drug coverage) and choose to opt-out of Harris County’s SilverScript plan, you need to switch to a Medicare Advantage Prescription Drug (MAPD) plan during the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period (MAOEP), Jan. 1-March 31, to ensure you have a prescription drug plan that provides creditable coverage. Please contact your individual MA plan’s carrier for your options.
*A Medicare late enrollment penalty is a permanent monthly surcharge added to Part B or Part D premiums if a retiree waits too long to sign up without having “creditable” coverage (like employer insurance). It is calculated based on the length of the gap in coverage and lasts for the rest of their life.
Comparison Charts
2026 Pharmacy Plan Comparison
|
NEW AETNA MEDICARE RX BY SILVERSCRIPT PLAN |
CURRENT AETNA STANDARD PLAN |
|||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30-DAY SUPPLY | 90-DAY SUPPLY | 30-DAY SUPPLY | 90-DAY SUPPLY | |
| Tier 1 Generics |
20% min $4 / max $50 25% min $5 / max $50 |
20% min $8 / max $100 25% min $10 / max $100 |
25% min $5 / max $50 |
25% min $10 / max $100 |
| Tier 2 Preferred Brands |
25% min $25 / max $150 |
25% min $50 / max $300 |
30% min $25 / max $150 |
30% min $50 / max $300 |
| Tier 3 Non-preferred brands |
35% min $50 / max $250 |
35% min $100 / max $500 |
35% min $50 / max $250 |
35% min $100 / max $500 |
| Tier 4 Specialty Medications |
30% min $75 / max $350 |
– | 30% min $75 / max $350 |
– |
| Catastrophic Phase | Once you reach $2,100> in out-of-pocket costs for covered Part D drugs, you will pay nothing for covered Part D drugs for the remainder of the year.* | Not Available | ||
|
No Cost Share Preventative Generics – both plans include a set of preventative generic medications at $0 cost share. *Notes plan design enhancements. |
||||
Income Related Monthly Adjustment Amount
Income-Related Monthly Adjustment Amount (IRMAA) impacts higher income members. This is assessed by the Social Security Administration. Members subject to IRMAA also pay a higher Medicare Part B premium and a Part D surcharge.
|
IF YOUR INCOME IN 2024 WAS THIS … |
YOU’LL PAY THIS EACH MONTH IN 2026 |
|||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
INDIVIDUAL TAX RETURN |
MARRIED FILING JOINTLY |
MARRIED FILING SEPARATELY |
PART B PREMIUM |
PART D SURCHARGE |
| $109,000 or less | $218,000 or less | $109,000 or less | $202.90 | Your plan premium |
| Above $109,000 up to $137,000 |
Above $218,000 up to $274,000 |
Not applicable | $284.10 | $14.50 plus your plan premium |
| Above $137,000 up to $171,000 |
Above $274,000 up to $342,000 |
Not applicable | $405.80 | $37.50 plus your plan premium |
| Above $171,000 up to $205,000 |
Above $342,000 up to $410,000 |
Not applicable | $527.50 | $60.40 plus your plan premium |
| Above $205,000 and less than $500,000 | Above $410,000 and less than $750,000 | Above $109,000 and less than $391,000 | $649.20 | $83.30 plus your plan premium |
| $500,000 or above | $750,000 or above | $391,000 or above | $689.90 | $91.00 plus your plan premium |
FAQs
What is Aetna Medicare Rx offered by SilverScript Employer PDP sponsored by Harris County?
Aetna Medicare Rx offered by SilverScript Employer PDP sponsored by Harris County (SilverScript) is a group Medicare Part D prescription drug plan. SilverScript® Insurance Company, affiliated with CVS Caremark®, has a contract with Medicare, and administers the plan.
To be eligible for SilverScript, you must:
- Be eligible for Medicare Part A and/or enrolled in Medicare Part B;
- Live in the SilverScript service area which is the United States and its territories, or live temporarily outside the service area for no more than 12 months;
- Meet and maintain the Harris County’s eligibility requirements for the plan.
What is Medicare Part D?
Medicare Part D is Medicare prescription drug coverage that helps to cover the cost of prescription drugs for anyone who is eligible for Medicare Part A and/or enrolled in Medicare Part B. It is provided through private insurance companies, plans, or retiree plans, like the sponsored plan by Harris County.
To qualify for a Medicare Part D plan, you must
- Be eligible for Medicare Part A and/or enrolled in Medicare Part B, and
- Be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident of the United States, and
- Live in the plan’s service area which is the United States and its territories.
What happens if I live outside the service area or overseas?
The service area for this plan is the United States and the U.S. territories, the full area allowed by Medicare. If you live outside this service area, you are not eligible for Medicare Part D and cannot be enrolled in this plan.
Why is Harris County implementing this new prescription drug plan?
Harris County is focused on maintaining comprehensive benefits for its retirees while minimizing premium increases. Moving to this plan, also referred to as an Employer Group Waiver Plan (EGWP), means the County’s health insurance plan will receive significantly higher federal subsidies, directly saving the plan more than $9 million annually and lowering the County’s unfunded liability by approximately 12%. The current liability to fund retiree healthcare is $3.9 billion, and this move is projected to reduce that liability by over $400 million.
Reducing our unfunded liability ensures Harris County retirees, both current and future, can access their earned benefits throughout the entire course of their life. An EGWP allows the County to keep existing pharmacy benefits intact for Medicare-eligible retirees and their eligible dependents while increasing federal reimbursement, thus reducing the County’s direct costs for these benefits in the long-term.
Can I still use prescription drug manufacturer coupons for my medications?
Helpful Links
- Aetna Medicare Rx offered by SilverScript – 4T Classic Plus – 2026 Formulary
- SilverScript Essential Health Supplemental Benefit
- SilverScript Summary of Benefits
- SilverScript Benefits at a Glance
- SilverScript Evidence of Coverage for Harris County
- Frequently Asked Questions for SilverScript PDP
- 2026 Medicare Star Ratings – SilverScript
- 2026 SilverScript Preferred Pharmacy List
Need help with SilverScript?
Contact the Benefits & Wellness Team or SilverScript Customer Care for questions about coverage, enrollment or plan details.
Contact Details
Benefits & Wellness Team
SilverScript Customer Care Team
SilverScript Member Website
Retiree Wellness
Become a healthier you with these programs, services and incentives for retirees:
Get Active
Employee 5k
Fitness classes and challenges
Gym discounts
Stay Well
Onsite health services
Access to Therapy
Weight management
Be Informed
Health education classes
Awareness campaigns
Get Active
Retirees can earn healthy actions incentives by reporting their actions on the Navigate Wellbeing portal.
*Not available for Retirees covered on the Humana Medicare Advantage plan.
Complete an Upcoming Navigate Challenge to Earn Points Toward 2026 Healthy Actions Incentives!
Check Your Beneficiaries
To help protect your family in the event of your death, the County currently provides a Life Insurance benefit of $15,000 through BlueCross BlueShield of Texas to eligible retirees at no cost.
Please keep your beneficiaries updated. If you are not sure who you have designated as your Life Insurance beneficiary, please call the Benefits & Wellness Office at 713-274-5500 or email benefits@harriscountytx.gov to request the form.
Note that your beneficiary with TCDRS will not apply to your Harris County life insurance policy.