Let me tell you something I've learned from 22 years in the pulpit: the numbers tell a story, but the people behind the numbers are the ones who need to hear it. So let's start with what the data actually shows.
According to CDC PLACES 2024 (cdc.gov/places), 41.2% of adults in Prince George's County, Maryland have been diagnosed with high blood pressure. That is not a rounding error. That is not a footnote. That is nearly half of the adult population in one of the most populous majority-Black counties in the entire United States.
For context: Maryland's statewide hypertension prevalence is 32.8%. The national average sits around 30.5% (CDC, 2024). Prince George's County is running more than ten percentage points above the national average. And we know — because the research is consistent and unambiguous — that Black adults are diagnosed with hypertension at younger ages, experience more severe complications, and die from hypertension-related causes at higher rates than white adults with the same condition. This is not biology. This is the consequence of generations of structural inequity: food deserts, pharmacy deserts, limited access to primary care, and chronic stress that the medical community is only now beginning to fully document.
Prince George's County is approximately 64% Black or African American (U.S. Census Bureau, 2023 ACS). It is home to roughly 940,000 residents, making it one of the largest majority-Black counties in the country by population. It is also home to some of the most politically and economically influential Black communities in the nation — and yet the healthcare disparities here are stark, persistent, and largely invisible to the policymakers who should be doing something about it.
If you are a Black senior in Prince George's County living with hypertension — or if you are the adult child, the caregiver, the church mother who makes sure everybody else is okay before you ask about yourself — this article is for you. Let's talk about what Medicare actually covers, what the plan landscape looks like in your county, and what you can do right now.
Here is what nobody explains clearly enough at the enrollment fair, at the community center, or at the insurance information session that started 20 minutes late and ran over the pastor's Bible study. So let me break it down the way I wish someone had broken it down for my own congregation members years ago.
Medicare Part B covers blood pressure screenings during your Annual Wellness Visit at no cost to you — no copay, no coinsurance — as long as your doctor accepts Medicare assignment. It also covers physician office visits where your blood pressure is managed, and it covers cardiac rehabilitation programs if your hypertension has led to heart disease. What it does not cover is the cost of your blood pressure medication at the pharmacy. That's Part D's job.
Most common antihypertensive medications are available in generic form and appear on Tier 1 or Tier 2 of most Part D formularies. This means drugs like lisinopril, amlodipine, metoprolol succinate, losartan, hydrochlorothiazide, and carvedilol typically cost you $0 to $15 per month at preferred network pharmacies. However — and I need you to hear this — formularies change every year. A drug that was Tier 1 last year may be Tier 2 or even Tier 3 this year, meaning your copay could have doubled or tripled without anybody calling you to say so.
Some Medicare Advantage plans in Prince George's County now include coverage for remote blood pressure monitoring — devices that transmit your readings directly to your care team, flagging dangerous spikes before they become an ER visit. This is a significant benefit for seniors managing hypertension who may not be able to get to a doctor's office every week. Not every plan offers this. You must check the Summary of Benefits for your specific plan. This is exactly the kind of benefit that gets buried in fine print and never explained at enrollment.
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According to CMS.gov Medicare Plan Finder (medicare.gov/plan-compare), there are 89 total Medicare plans available in Prince George's County, MD for the 2026 plan year. This includes Medicare Advantage plans (Part C), standalone Part D prescription drug plans, and Medicare Supplement (Medigap) policies available through the state.
I am not going to tell you which plan to pick. That is not my job, and frankly, the federal government says it's not my place — and they're right, because your health situation is unique. What I am going to do is tell you what to look for when you're evaluating those 89 options, specifically through the lens of managing hypertension as a Black senior in Prince George's County.
| Plan Type | Key Hypertension Benefit | Best For | Watch Out For |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-SNP (Dual Special Needs) | Often $0 premium + OTC allowance + transportation | Seniors with both Medicare & Medicaid | Network restrictions; confirm your PCP is in-network |
| Medicare Advantage HMO | May include remote BP monitoring; care management programs | Seniors with a regular PCP in the HMO network | Must stay in-network; referrals required for specialists |
| Medicare Advantage PPO | More provider flexibility; may include OTC allowance | Seniors who see multiple specialists | Higher premiums than HMO; out-of-network costs vary |
| Part D Standalone + Original Medicare | Freedom to see any Medicare-accepting doctor | Seniors with complex care needs across specialties | No cap on out-of-pocket costs without Medigap |
| Medigap + Part D | Covers most cost-sharing gaps; predictable expenses | Seniors who want budget certainty | Monthly premium; medical underwriting if outside initial window |
Of the 89 plans available in Prince George's County, seniors who qualify for both Medicare and Maryland Medicaid should prioritize comparing D-SNP options first. D-SNPs are specifically designed for dual-eligible individuals and often include benefits that directly address the social determinants of health that drive hypertension in Black communities: transportation to medical appointments, over-the-counter health allowances, and meal delivery programs. These are not luxury add-ons. These are survival tools for seniors on fixed incomes who are trying to manage a chronic condition that will put them in the hospital if they can't get to their doctor or afford their medication.
This is the question that keeps me up at night. I've sat with families where Mama has been on the wrong plan for three years, paying $47 a month for a drug plan that doesn't even cover her metoprolol at the best tier. Or where Daddy qualified for a Medicare Savings Program that would eliminate his Part B premium — that's $185.00 a month he could keep in his pocket — and nobody ever told him.
The Medicare Savings Programs (MSPs) — there are four of them: Qualified Medicare Beneficiary (QMB), Specified Low-Income Medicare Beneficiary (SLMB), Qualifying Individual (QI), and Qualified Disabled Working Individual (QDWI) — help pay Medicare premiums, deductibles, and copayments for low-income seniors. According to KFF (kff.org), approximately 1 in 3 eligible seniors nationwide are not enrolled in an MSP they qualify for. In majority-Black counties, that enrollment gap is even wider.
Why? Because the application process is confusing. Because the offices are sometimes far away or understaffed. Because some of our elders have a deep and historically earned distrust of government programs. And because the healthcare system has not done nearly enough to reach into communities like ours and say, clearly and in plain language: This is yours. You paid into this. Here is how to claim it.
That distrust is not irrational. The Tuskegee Syphilis Study lasted from 1932 to 1972. That is within living memory for the oldest members of our community. When Brother James sits in your office and says "I don't trust the government with my health," he is not being paranoid. He is being historically accurate. Our job — as trusted community voices, as children, as neighbors — is to be the bridge between that legitimate distrust and the very real benefits that are sitting unclaimed in Annapolis right now.
I always say: the resource that does the most good is the one that's within driving distance and has a parking spot. So let me tell you what's actually available in Prince George's County right now.
The State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) offers free, unbiased, one-on-one Medicare counseling from trained volunteers who have no financial stake in what plan you choose. This is critical. Nobody is getting a commission. They are just helping you understand your options. In Prince George's County, SHIP counselors can be accessed through the Prince George's County Department of Family Services, Aging Services Division. Call the SHIP Maryland helpline: 1-800-243-3425.
Prince George's County is served by several FQHCs that provide primary care — including blood pressure management — on a sliding fee scale for uninsured and underinsured patients, and accept Medicare assignment. According to HRSA's Health Center Data (data.hrsa.gov), these centers provide culturally competent care and often employ community health workers who can assist with Medicare enrollment navigation. Look for Mary's Center locations and University of Maryland Capital Region Health community clinic sites in the county.
The county operates an aging services infrastructure that includes in-home assessments, caregiver support, and connections to Medicare enrollment assistance. Contact them at (301) 265-8450.
I am not joking. I started putting Medicare enrollment dates in my Sunday bulletin 14 years ago because I realized Sister Mae wasn't going to drive to a county office but she was coming to church every Sunday. If your congregation doesn't have a health ministry or a Medicare information session scheduled this spring, I want you to walk up to your pastor and say: "We need to talk about our seniors' coverage." Because the next Open Enrollment Period starts October 15, 2026. That gives us six months to get our people ready.
Prince George's County is home to some of the strongest, most resilient Black families in this nation. Your elders built communities, raised children, paid taxes