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☆ Retirees face significantly higher Medicare Part D prescription drug premiums in 2024. What to know
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( Lorie Konish | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Fatcamera | E+ | Getty ImagesA new law is poised to cap seniors' prescription drug costs covered under Medicare, starting in 2025. But retirees may be in for a shock next year — significantly higher Medicare Part D premiums for prescription drug coverage. That represents an increase ranging from $128.32 to $380.96 from 2023 to 2024, according to the firm. watch nowInsurers may pay higher costs due to the higher out-of-pocket limits, and higher premiums is a way of getting beneficiaries to share that burden, according to Ron Mastrogiovanni, founder & CEO of HealthView Services. High-income beneficiaries will pay higher premiums.

Persons: Ron Mastrogiovanni, Mastrogiovanni, Juliette Cubanski, Cubanski, Michael Daley, Daley Organizations: Medicare, HealthView Services, Research, Social Security Locations: California, Florida , New York , Pennsylvania, Texas, KFF

☆ The Biden administration is negotiating lower prices for 10 medications with drug manufacturers
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-04 | by ( Noah Sheidlower | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

AdvertisementAdvertisementThe Biden administration announced Tuesday it is beginning talks with drug makers behind 10 expensive medications to lower prices for recipients of Medicare, the national health insurance program for older Americans and people with disability status. The negotiations are expected to last until 2024, with the lower prices expected to go into effect in 2026. The Congressional Budget Office "estimated that price negotiation will lower average drug prices paid by Medicare and will reduce the budget deficit by $25 billion in 2031." "Negotiating provides us a critical tool to ensure they get those prescription drugs at lower prices – just as the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has done for years." AdvertisementAdvertisementThe Biden administration has recently taken aim at high drug prices and high profits at pharmaceutical companies.

Persons: —, Biden, Juliette Cubanski, Harris, Xavier Becerra, Jardiance, Eli Lilly Organizations: Service, Congressional, Medicare, Biden, Harris Administration, Human Services, U.S . Department of Veterans Affairs, HHS, Centers, Services

☆ Medicare's drug-price negotiations will save the government billions in healthcare spending — but patients may not feel the benefits
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( Natalie Rahhal | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Patients with private health insurance aren't likely to see a drop in costs from the negotiations. Longo said the price-setting provisions will drive research and investment away from treatment options for Medicare patients. If drug companies won't come to the negotiating table to lower drug prices paid by private insurers, those insurers could take the companies' drugs off their lists of covered medications. Or, if private insurance companies don't negotiate drug prices down for their patients, patients in some cases could seek out different insurance. "These are not full solutions, but they are the beginning of cracks in the facade" of drug companies' constant price hikes, Feldman said.

Persons: Biden, Juliette Cubanski, Jeffrey Davis, Davis, Richard Frank, —, Nicole Longo, Longo, it's, — aren't, Robin Feldman, Feldman, Cuban's Organizations: Medicare, Healthcare, Morning, Centers, Services, Congressional, McDermott, Consulting, Brookings Schaeffer Initiative, Health, Pharmaceutical Research, Manufacturers of America, PhRMA, University of California Law School, Costco, Pharmaceutical Locations: Lower

☆ Medicare Part B premiums may increase in 2024, prompted by a new Alzheimer's treatment
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-20 | by ( Lorie Konish | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

If Part B premiums go up next year prompted by the new Alzheimer's drug, it will not be the first time. However, Part B premiums dropped by 3% for 2023 in response to Medicare's decision to limit Aduhelm coverage. How Part B premiums affect Social Security checksThe Senior Citizens League is currently predicting a 3% Social Security cost-of-living adjustment for 2024, based on the latest government inflation data. Medicare Part B premium payments are typically deducted directly from monthly Social Security checks. Medicare patients may pay more than $5,000 annually for the treatment, according to KFF.

Persons: Juliette Cubanski, Mary Johnson, Johnson, KFF, Cubanski, Jasmin Merdan Organizations: Senior Citizens League, Social Security, Medicare, Security

The Biden Administration’s signature drug pricing reform, part of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), aims to save $25 billion through price negotiations by 2031 for Americans who pay more for medicines than any other country. The first ever Medicare drug price reduction process begins in September, when the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services(CMS) identifies its 10 most costly drugs. Reuters has seen responses to CMS from five of the world's top drugmakers raising legal concerns with the law and the agency's proposed roadmap. Former CMS head Andy Slavitt, who now works at a venture capital company focused on healthcare, said the Medicare agency would have consulted lawyers. One said the Medicare roadmap, which did not go through a formal process with proposed and final rules, could be challenged in court for being unlawful as well.

How much does insulin cost? People with Type 1 diabetes need, on average, one to three vials of insulin per month, according to the American Diabetes Association. Patients with Type 2 diabetes don't always need to take insulin, but those who do can sometimes require more than people with Type 1 diabetes. Even people with what's considered good health insurance coverage can face steep costs in certain situations. In addition to insulin and insurance premiums, Gibson also must spend $550 every three months for glucose monitors and $1,100 for insulin pumps.

☆ Which to Choose: Medicare or Medicare Advantage?
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-20 | by ( Paula Span | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +13 min

Which to Choose: Medicare or Medicare Advantage? Medicare Advantage plans, like traditional Medicare, are funded by the federal government, but they are offered though private insurance companies, which receive a set payment for each enrollee. The proportion of eligible Medicare beneficiaries enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans has hit 48 percent. Which is better: Medicare or Medicare Advantage? Credit... Kenny Holston for The New York Times Unlike most Medicare Advantage plans, traditional Medicare does not include drug coverage.

The cost of insulin remains a barrier for many Americans with diabetes who depend on the drug, research published Monday suggests. It was the first time that the CDC had included questions about insulin use, though concerns about sky-high insulin prices have been reported for years. Meanwhile, those with public health coverage, such as Medicaid and Medicare, had the lowest rates of rationing. According to the American Diabetes Association, people with type 1 diabetes need, on average, two to three vials per month. He said the "most ambitious" proposal he would like to see in the U.S. is universal health coverage with no copays for consumers.

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