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Most Medicare beneficiaries may pay more for drugs under the IRA

Written by Charlie King | 2 Jul 2025

Making prescription drugs more affordable was a key goal of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). However, most Medicare beneficiaries may end up paying more out of pocket for… read more.

New Medicare program could dramatically improve affordability for cancer drugs – if patients enroll

Written by Charlie King | 11 May 2025

Even for patients covered by Medicare, annual out-of-pocket costs for lifesaving cancer treatments taken in pill form have often exceeded $10,000—until recently. Thanks to changes in Medicare Part… read more.

Most older adults say Medicare and other insurance should cover obesity drugs, and many show interest in using them

Written by Charlie King | 30 Mar 2025

A large majority of older Americans feel that health insurance – including Medicare – should cover anti-obesity medications, according to a new University of Michigan study. And more… read more.

Medicare rules may reduce prescription steering

Written by Charlie King | 14 Jan 2025

Weill Cornell Medicine researchers have found that pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs)—organizations that negotiate access to medicines for most patients in the United States—steer patients to use their own… read more.

Most Medicare beneficiaries do not compare prescription drug plans – and may be sticking with bad plans

Written by Charlie King | 27 Nov 2024

Every fall, millions of Medicare beneficiaries have the chance to pick a new stand-alone prescription drug plan that may be better suited for them, but most stick with… read more.

New law regulating out-of-pocket drug spending saves cancer patients more than $7,000 a year, study finds

Written by Charlie King | 21 Sep 2024

As prescription oral chemotherapies have become a common form of cancer treatment, some patients were paying more than $10,000 a year for medications. A new study finds that… read more.

High BMI eligibility for semaglutide could cost Medicare an additional $145 billion annually

Written by Charlie King | 30 Aug 2024

A brief research report found that 61% of Medicare-eligible adults have a BMI of 27 or higher, which means they may benefit from a GLP-1 receptor agonist like… read more.

Private health plans paid hospitals 254% of what Medicare would pay during 2022

Written by Charlie King | 19 May 2024

Prices paid to hospitals during 2022 by employers and private insurers for both inpatient and outpatient services averaged 254% of what Medicare would have paid, with wide variation… read more.

UH College of Pharmacy researcher examines trends in rising cost of medicine

Written by Charlie King | 12 Apr 2024

Newly published research from the University of Houston College of Pharmacy reveals an alarming trend in diabetic medication expenditures. While pharmaceutical spending in the U.S. has long been… read more.

Study reveals positive outcomes of pharmacy care management service for medically complex medicare advantage members

Written by Charlie King | 14 Mar 2024

A high-touch pharmacy care management (PCM) service leads to lower pharmacy spending costs, decreased inpatient hospital stays and optimal medication use for Medicare Advantage (MA) members identified as… read more.

Medicare doesn’t cover obesity drugs, but 76% of older adults think it should

Written by Charlie King | 18 Dec 2023

The vast majority of older adults – 83% — think health insurers should cover medications that can help people with obesity manage their weight, a new poll of people… read more.

Medicare is overpaying for generic drugs

Written by Charlie King | 8 Dec 2023

Medicare is the single largest provider of health insurance in the United States, serving 63.8 million senior citizens as of 2022. Three-quarters of these recipients are enrolled in… read more.

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