Yet another issue to watch in Medicare Part D...
There’s a sobering new study out in Health Affairs that shows Medicare beneficiaries are likely paying more out-of-pocket for specialty generic drugs versus their brand name counterparts. The researchers, led by Vanderbilt University’s Stacie Dusetzina, found some pretty eye-opening statistics: a patient taking the generic version of the multiple sclerosis treatment glatiramer acetate pays $1,000 more for the drug than they would if they took the brand, which is known as Copaxone.
Interestingly enough, this one really isn’t the drug makers’ fault — it’s a byproduct of the wonky Part D program. Under current law, branded drug makers can pay discounts for their products, but generic manufacturers can’t do the same.
The researchers suggest two potential tweaks to solve the issue: First, Medicare could let generic makers give the discounts, too. Second, the program could tweak how it calculates patients' out-of-pocket costs so that discounts aren’t included in the tally of what patients pay out of pocket.
Interestingly enough, this one really isn’t the drug makers’ fault — it’s a byproduct of the wonky Part D program. Under current law, branded drug makers can pay discounts for their products, but generic manufacturers can’t do the same.
The researchers suggest two potential tweaks to solve the issue: First, Medicare could let generic makers give the discounts, too. Second, the program could tweak how it calculates patients' out-of-pocket costs so that discounts aren’t included in the tally of what patients pay out of pocket.
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