prescription drug benefit news from FierceHealthcare
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HHS: Medicare pharmacy pay lower than Medicaid
A new report from the HHS Office of Inspector General has given pharmacies ammunition in their fight for better reimbursement under the Medicare prescription drug benefit. According to the report,... Read more...
Stark files universal coverage measure
Rep. Pete Stark (D-CA), already a high-profile figure in the industry thanks to the self-referral rules bearing his name, has taken a stance on the universal health coverage issue. Stark, who serves as chairman of the House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee, has introduced a bill creating a universal health plan. Under the AmeriCare Health Care Act, all U.S. citizens would be covered either …
... Read more...GAO says U.S. can't afford more healthcare
While it's all well and good to expand health coverage to more uninsured Americans, doing so would impose an untenable burden on the federal budget, according to a top government official. Government Accountability Office head David Walker says that existing federal government commitments such as Social Security and Medicare are already breaking the federal bank. While some have suggested that …
... Read more...Release: Familymeds Announces Worksite Pharmacy
Release: Familymeds Announces Worksite Pharmacy
... Read more...Norwalk named acting director of CMS
Leslie Norwalk has been named acting director of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. She will be replacing CMS Administrator Mark McClellan, who announced that he was stepping down from his post to join a think tank focused on improving the U.S. healthcare system. "She is a nationally recognized expert on Medicare issues and played a central role in the successful implementation of the prescription drug benefit and other reforms to Medicare and Medicaid," Mike Leavitt, …
... Read more...SPOTLIGHT: HHS Secretary criticized for use of CDC plane
Democrats are criticizing HHS secretary Mike Leavitt for using a private jet belonging to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to promote the new Medicare prescription drug benefit. Leavitt visited more than 90 cities to promote Medicare Part D over the last six months. The jet costs about $3,000 an hour to operate, according to critics. Leavitt says the trips involved legitimate public health related business, noting that in most cases he met with officials to discuss pandemic influenza in addition to the new benefit. Article
CMS announces final Part D numbers
Officials say 11.5 million people signed up for the new prescription drug benefit by the May 15 deadline. The typical beneficiary is paying a premium of $23 a month. That's less than originally projected. "I'd just like to stress what good news this is for our seniors and the Medicare program," said HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt. "Competition works." Critics continue to point out that many of those who have not signed up fall into low-income categories.
- read this …
... Read more...Legislators propose Part D extension
A powerful bipartisan group of legislators in Washington has introduced legislation that would waive penalties for late sign ups for Medicare Part D. Senator Charles Grassley (R-IA) and Max Baucus (D-MT) introduced a bill which would waive the current penalty. Grassley predicts that the legislation will pass by a unanimous vote in the Senate. Observers are divided over how well the legislation would do in the House, should it move forward. The White House showed signs that it may be …
... Read more...Seniors in Part D'mostly happy'
The Kaiser Family Foundation released details of a tracking poll that found that most seniors enrolled in Medicare drug plans are satisfied with their coverage. Eight out of 10 reported no difficulties having prescriptions filled. A companion report "Voices of Beneficiaries: Early Experiences with the Medicare Drug Benefit" provides personal perspectives on the benefit. The new prescription drug benefit continues to receive extensive media coverage, as the May 15 enrollment deadline approaches.
- see the report summary from The Kaiser Family Foundation
SPOTLIGHT: Wide discrepancy found in Part D prices
Federal officials have argued that one of the main benefits of the new prescription drug benefit is that it gives participants a wide selection of possible plans and options to select from. A new study by the California-based Coalition to Advance Prescription Drug Education (CARxE) and the Center for Practical Health Reform finds that seniors participating in the program can save substantial sums if they shop around. According to researchers, prices for most drugs vary by up to 200 percent. Release
