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Disabled Patients Skew Medicare Rx Benefit Design
Pharmaceutical Executive
If policy makers crafting a Medicare pharmacy benefit are worried about heavy prescription spending by seniors, they should take a closer look at medication use by the five million disabled beneficiaries in the program of 40 million patients.
If policy makers crafting a Medicare pharmacy benefit are worried about heavy prescription spending by seniors, they should take a closer look at medication use by the five million disabled beneficiaries in the program of 40 million patients. Medicare provides healthcare coverage for individuals under 65 who are totally and permanently disabled. Many qualify for Medicaid pharmacy benefits, but their low incomes make paying for prescription medicines particularly burdensome, according to a report on "Medicare's Disabled Beneficiaries: The Forgotten Population in the Debate Over Drug Benefits" from the Commonwealth Fund and the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. That population fills more prescriptions and spends more on medicines each year than the elderly. (See "The Other Medicare Patients.")
The Other Medicare Patients
Moreover, the report points out, disabled Medicare beneficiaries use a different mix of pharmaceuticals than seniors do. Most notable is the heavy use of psychotherapeutics and analgesics -both low on the list of drugs commonly used by Medicare patients. (See "One Program, Two Lists.")
One Program, Two Lists
What Every Pharma CEO Should Know About Unlocking the Potential of Scientific Data
December 11th 2024When integrated into pharmaceutical enterprises, scientific data has the potential to drive organizational growth and innovation. Mikael Hagstroem, CEO at leading laboratory informatics provider LabVantage Solutions, discusses how technology partners add significant value to pharmaceutical R&D, in addition to manufacturing quality.
Key Findings of the NIAGARA and HIMALAYA Trials
November 8th 2024In this episode of the Pharmaceutical Executive podcast, Shubh Goel, head of immuno-oncology, gastrointestinal tumors, US oncology business unit, AstraZeneca, discusses the findings of the NIAGARA trial in bladder cancer and the significance of the five-year overall survival data from the HIMALAYA trial, particularly the long-term efficacy of the STRIDE regimen for unresectable liver cancer.
