Senate Democrats are looking to lower Medicare drug costs by allowing Medicare to negotiate the prices it pays for a limited number of drugs. The Medicare Modernization Act of 2003 expressly forbid the government from interfering with negotiations between private payers and drug makers. However, allowing Medicare to negotiate directly with drug makers has long been a goal of Democrats and the idea is popular with voters.
Category: Medicare
Will the Covid Emergency Ever End?
PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES/ISTOCKPHOTO It’s supposed to end on Friday. But the Wall Street Journal says that continued extensions are the left’s best way of expanding the welfare state. One reason is that in March 2020 Congress barred states from kicking ineligible people off Medicaid rolls during the emergency in return for more federal funding. Medicaid enrollment has ballooned to…
Thursday Links
- Shared Uber rides are back. But is anyone using them?
- Medical debt actually fell during the pandemic – across all income groups.
- Medicare Advantage plans cost $1,704 less per member, per year, relative to traditional Medicare.
- Paying employees $1,000 each to get vaccinated induces 98% compliance.
- Did Covid cause an increase in prejudice against East Asians and Hispanics?
Medicare Advantage: Lawmakers Say it’s Pretty Good but Could be Improved
Energy and Commerce subcommittee on oversight and investigations met on Tuesday to beat up on Medicare Advantage plans. Chairwoman Rep. Diana DeGette (D-CO) claimed seniors are “required to jump through numerous hoops” to get the care they need.