To: The United States House of Representatives and The United States Senate
Make Medicare negotiate prescription drug prices
By law, corporate Pharmacy Benefit Managers are in charge of negotiating prices for prescription medicines covered by Medicare "part D". This isn't working and incredibly high drug (especially patented drugs) prices in the US are the result.
Repeal or change the "Medicare Modernization Act" so that Medicare (and the taxpayer) isn't paying hundreds of dollars per month for established medicines.
Repeal or change the "Medicare Modernization Act" so that Medicare (and the taxpayer) isn't paying hundreds of dollars per month for established medicines.
Why is this important?
We keep seeing articles about high prescription drug prices in the US and how once again some pharma company has tripled the price of a life-saving medicine. If you look a little closer, we see these are patented medicines (no generics available) and very few people do or have to pay that full price... unless their coverage is through Medicare part D.
AFTER my private insurance has kicked in, my share of the cost of my anti-coagulant medicine would be $395 for 3 months... UNLESS I affirm to the drug manufacturer that I am not on and am not eligible for Medicare coverage. Once I do that (and re-affirm every year), my co-pay for a 3 month supply is $30.
AFTER my private insurance has kicked in, my share of the cost of my anti-coagulant medicine would be $395 for 3 months... UNLESS I affirm to the drug manufacturer that I am not on and am not eligible for Medicare coverage. Once I do that (and re-affirm every year), my co-pay for a 3 month supply is $30.