State Indicator Adults Who Report Arthritis By SexThe federal government negotiates prescription drug prices for Medicaid enrollees and for veterans, but it is not allowed to negotiate lower prices for Medicare beneficiaries. Do you support this policy?.Lowering drug prices is a singular area where bipartisan legislation could make it into law this year. On Monday, Senator Jeanne Shaheen in introduced legislation that would cut the cost of insulin by 75% compared with the level expected in 2020. The proposal would create a new pricing model that limits the use of rebates for Medicare Part D and the private insurance market, Sens. Tom Carper, Susan Collins and Kevin Cramer have already signed on as co-sponsors to the legislation..Without action by Congress, the situation would also create inequities or a new "notch" in premium costs for new Medicare enrollees in 20New enrollees would be subject to paying the "unadjusted" Medicare premium while those who fall under "hold harmless" protection would continue to pay the adjusted .40 per month. An estimated 850,000 people would be affected in 2010 alone. Here's an example: … Continued
Blog Supreme Court Rules States May Authorize Sports GamblingHow To Increase Medical Tax Deductions for Older Taxpayers."But the evidence on whether Biogen's treatment, called aducanumab, is effective is, at best, mixed; the FDA approved it this week over the objections of its own advisory committee. And with a preliminary announced price of nearly ,000 annually per patient, covering the treatment could cost upward of 0 billion a year, mostly to Medicare, which would almost double the program's drug spending. Patients themselves could be on the hook for thousands of dollars in out-of-pocket costs.".On Thursday, HELP Committee Members heard from the governors of five states, who offered their guidance on improving the individual market. Governor John Hickenlooper explained that states have long been the test labs of democratic experiments and they are in an exceptional position to propose unique solutions. He and others who testified at Thursday's hearing agreed that CSRs must continue to be funded and that lawmakers should consider creating an emergency stabilization fund to decrease the skyrocketing premiums many individuals are currently facing. Governor Charlie Baker summarized the spirit of the hearing when he said "health coverage is a shared commitment," and although the opinions of elected officials vary widely, they are dedicated to working to solutions together. … Continued
