The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act: Summary of Key Health Provisions April 9, 2020 Issue Brief This summary of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act highlights and summarizes health-related provisions focused on the COVID-19 outbreak in the United States and support for the global response.
At-Home SARS-CoV-2 Testing: What Are the Options? June 18, 2020 Interactive This interactive table includes vendors selling at-home SARS-CoV-2 diagnostic tests that have received emergency use authorization (EUA) from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
How Could the Price of Remdesivir Impact Medicare Spending for COVID-19 Patients? July 14, 2020 Issue Brief This brief discusses how drugs provided in inpatient hospital settings are covered and reimbursed for beneficiaries in traditional Medicare under current law. This is relevant for Medicare spending on COVID-19 patients who receive Gilead’s new antiviral drug remdesivir. We discuss the implications for hospitals and the Medicare program of spending on remdesivir.
Insulin Costs and Coverage in Medicare Part D June 4, 2020 Issue Brief In light of heightened attention to insulin and the Trump Administration’s new Part D model to address out-of-pocket costs for insulin for Medicare beneficiaries, we analyzed out-of-pocket spending on insulin by beneficiaries enrolled in Part D drug plans, variation in Part D plan formulary coverage and tier placement of insulin products, and trends in prices for insulin.
State Medicaid Management of Prescription Drugs for HIV Treatment and Prevention June 4, 2020 Issue Brief This data note, primarily based on a survey of state Medicaid pharmacies, reviews cost-containment policies and protections as they relate to antiretrovirals for treatment and prevention of HIV.
Annual Survey of Medicaid Directors Finds States Continue to Adopt Policies to Respond to the Pandemic and Are Addressing Issues Related to Social Determinants of Health and Health Equity October 27, 2021 News Release More than 18 months into the COVID-19 pandemic, state Medicaid programs around the country continue to reshape policy in response to the public health emergency and at the same time advance broader initiatives and priorities, including efforts to address the social determinants of health and health equity, finds a new…
Drug Price Negotiation Doesn’t Mean the Government Will Restrict Access to Medicines October 7, 2021 Blog This policy watch evaluates the pharmaceutical industry’s claims that allowing the federal government to negotiate drug prices would restrict access to medications in Medicare. It explains what the current proposal to allow drug price negotiation would and wouldn’t do.
Why The California Recall Is Not a Harbinger of What Is to Come on COVID As a Campaign Issue September 28, 2021 Perspective In this Axios column, Drew Altman examines the lessons for COVID-19 as a political issue from Governor Gavin Newsom’s resounding win in California’s recall election.
Potential Savings for Medicare Part D Enrollees Under Proposals to Add a Hard Cap on Out-of-Pocket Spending September 10, 2021 Issue Brief Medicare Part D, the outpatient prescription drug benefit for Medicare beneficiaries, provides coverage above a catastrophic threshold for high out-of-pocket drug costs, but there is no cap on total out-of-pocket drug costs that beneficiaries pay each year. Recent legislative proposals would add a cap on out-of-pocket spending under Part D. This analysis focuses on the potential impact of different out-of-pocket spending caps in terms of how many beneficiaries would be affected and how much they could save.
How Would Drug Price Negotiation Affect Medicare Part D Premiums? August 12, 2021 Issue Brief Proposals to allow the federal government to negotiate prescription drug prices, such as H.R. 3, the Elijah E. Cummings Lower Drug Costs Now Act, aim to lower out-of-pocket drug costs for Medicare beneficiaries and private plan enrollees and achieve savings for Medicare. This data note estimates average premium savings attributable to the negotiations provision of H.R. 3 on a per capita basis for Part D enrollees who pay premiums in dollar amounts and as a share of the base beneficiary premium, based on aggregate premium reductions and baseline premiums projected by Medicare’s actuaries through 2029.