Medicare

Price Transparency Healthcare Policies Reduce Out-Of-Pocket Costs

December 11, 2023 - Price transparency enables patients to shop for the most effective and inexpensive healthcare available and is vital as patient out-of-pocket healthcare costs continue to skyrocket year-over-year.   A 2021 Kalorama Information analysis found that patient out-of-pocket costs are up 10% since 2020, with the net total of patient financial responsibility nearly $491 billion in 2021....

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Exploring Prescription Discount Cards’ Role in Medication Adherence

by Editorial Staff

Since prescription discount cards were introduced into the United States market in the early 2000s, patients and providers have leveraged them to combat rising drug costs and make medications more affordable. By enhancing drug...

HHS and Pfizer Reach Paxlovid Agreement to Improve Access

by Veronica Salib

Last week, the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced that it had negotiated an agreement with Pfizer Inc. to bolster access to Paxlovid as it enters the commercial...

Novo Nordisk Cuts Prices of Insulin Pens and Vials by Up to 75%

by Veronica Salib

By January 2024, Novo Nordisk plans to cut the prices of insulin pens and vials by up to 75%. The company is echoing strategies reported by Eli Lilly earlier this month, attempting to widen access to...

Eli Lilly Cuts Insulin Prices and Caps Monthly Out-of-Pocket Costs

by Veronica Salib

On Wednesday, March 1, 2023, Eli Lilly, a major insulin manufacturer in the United States, announced that it would cut its insulin prices by 70% and cap out-of-pocket costs to $35 per month. By the end...

Analyzing 2023 Drug List Price Increases by Pharmaceutical Companies

by Veronica Salib

In January of this year, 46brooklyn, an Ohio-based nonprofit focusing on drug pricing data in the United States, revealed its annual drug pricing data report for 2023. The organization uses and analyzes proprietary data to help shed light...

Understanding the Burdens of Dialysis

by Veronica Salib

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) occurs when the kidneys fail to filter waste as they typically do in a healthy body. Patients in the late stage of chronic kidney disease progress to end-stage renal failure (ESRF) when they need a transplant...

Epilepsy Drug Prices Have Increased by 277% in the Past Decade

by Veronica Salib

In one decade, brand-name epilepsy drug prices have increased by 277%, according to a recent press release by the American Academy of Neurology. This review looked at data from Medicare patients...

AMA Supports Biden’s Medicare Proposal, Prescription Drug Policies

by Samantha McGrail

The American Medical Association (AMA) recently strongly supported the Biden Administration's proposal for Medicare Advantage (MA) and prescription drug benefit policies in an official letter. In...

Nearly Half of All Medicare Drug Prices Increased From 2019-2020

by Samantha McGrail

Half of all Medicare Part D covered drugs and nearly half of all Medicare Part B covered drugs (48%) had price increases greater than inflation between July 2019 and July 2020, according to...

Top-Selling Medicare Part D Prescription Drugs in Recent Years

by Samantha McGrail

All Medicare plans must cover a wide range of prescription drugs, including most drugs in certain protected classes. But Medicare Part D plans must cover all or substantially all drugs in six...

Patient, Prescription-Related Factors Linked to Opioid Overdose

by Samantha McGrail

Patient factors, including Medicaid or Medicare Advantage, comorbid substance use disorder, medical comorbidities, and prescription-related factors, are associated with opioid overdose, according to a...

Top Manufacturers of Most Prescribed Drugs in Medicare

by Samantha McGrail

As healthcare begins to reimagine reimbursement and cost, it will be essential to understand the therapies that drive them. By looking into the most prescribed drugs in Medicare—and the...

Study Finds Major Medicare Overspending Generic Prescription Drugs

by Samantha McGrail

Medicare overspent by 13.2 percent in 2017 and 20.6 percent in 2018 compared with Costco pharmacy member prices for the most commonly prescribed generic prescription drugs, according to a JAMA Network...

Medicare Prescription Drug Prices Doubled Since 2005

by Samantha McGrail

Launch prices for prescription drugs have doubled since 2005, according to researchers from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business. David Ridley, health economist and Fuqua strategy...

Trump Issues New Rules to Lower Prescription Drug Pricing

by Samantha McGrail

President Trump recently issued two regulations to lower prescription drug pricing through a slew of new initiatives at aim prescription drug spending in Medicare.  The reforms are the direct...

What is Medicare Part D, What Does It Mean for Pharma?

by Emily Sokol, MPH

Prescription drugs were not covered for Medicare beneficiaries prior to 2006. But the passage of the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act developed Medicare Part D, a voluntary prescription benefit for Medicare...

Medicare Switches to Generic Cholesterol Drugs and Saves Billions

by Samantha McGrail

A recent study found that switching from brand name to generic cholesterol medications has saved Medicare billions of dollars between 2014 and 2018, even as the number people on cholesterol-lowering...

Trump Pursues Most Favored Nation Strategy for Lower Drug Prices

by Samantha McGrail

President Trump signed an executive order yesterday to lower prescription drug prices by “putting America first,” but experts are unsure if this move will have a direct impact on rising...

CMS Seeks Faster Medicare Coverage for Newly Approved Devices

by Samantha McGrail

Today, CMS issued a proposed rule that would create a new, accelerated Medicare coverage process for innovative products that FDA deems “breakthrough,” including new implants or gene-based...

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