Higher premiums? Not always. For the plan I'm on, I paid $18.50/mo in 2013. I'll be paying $12.60 in 2013 for the same plan except the deductible is lower and they lowered my co-pay on Rx drugs to a dollar.
Thanks for the correction. My overgeneralizing came from the comments of elderly friends who at least say they have to pay $500-$600 per month for their Medicare drug coverage. There must be different plans and costs depending on the “tier” of drugs involved. Sounds like you have a heck of a deal.