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Report: Mental Health Drugs Vital for Medicare Patients
WASHINGTON -- Medicare consumers with bipolar disorder or schizophrenia are hospitalized less often if they maintain access to their medications when they hit the coverage gap for prescription drugs, according to a study released today.
This has led to scientists calling for the so-called "doughnut hole" to be closed sooner than 2020, as called for in the 2010 health care law, also known as the Affordable Care Act. They would also like to see patients using more generic medications so that they can avoid hitting the gap in the first place, while saving taxpayers money. "We'd save money and have better outcomes," said Kenneth Smith, lead author of the report published in The American Journal of Managed Care. The health care law last year gave a 50% discount on name-brand drugs and a 14% discount on generics, and Smith said policymakers should consider increasing the discount on generics.
Read the full story: http://usat.ly/WMJ91Q
Source: USA Today
What's at Stake as Oral Arguments Are Presented in the Braidwood Case? Q&A With Richard Hughes IV
April 21st 2025Richard Hughes IV, JD, MPH, spoke about the upcoming oral arguments to be presented to the Supreme Court regarding the Braidwood case, which would determine how preventive services are guaranteed insurance coverage.
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Varied Access: The Pharmacogenetic Testing Coverage Divide
February 18th 2025On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we speak with the author of a study published in the February 2025 issue of The American Journal of Managed Care® to uncover significant differences in coverage decisions for pharmacogenetic tests across major US health insurers.
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Comparing Breast Cancer Treatment Outcomes Between Fee-for-Service and Medicare Advantage
April 4th 2025This study examined postdiagnosis breast cancer treatment outcomes for Medicare Advantage vs fee-for-service (FFS) Medicare in Ohio and found no significant differences overall but disparities for Black patients with FFS Medicare.
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