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Medicare Part D Popular Plans Face Final Hurdle in CMS Part D Call Letter

Published: 2015-02-19
Author: Pharmaceutical Care Management Association - Contact: PCMA
Peer-Reviewed: N/A
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Synopsis: Saga over Medicare Part D regulations expected to end when Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services issues Part D Call Letter for 2016.

After an initial uproar over a proposed regulation that threatened preferred pharmacy plans for millions of Medicare beneficiaries, CMS excluded such "controversial" provisions from its 2016 Final Part C & D Rule. With this week's Part D Call Letter, CMS can finally close the book on a year in which millions of seniors feared their plans would be eliminated.

Main Digest

After an initial uproar over a proposed regulation that threatened preferred pharmacy plans for millions of Medicare beneficiaries, CMS excluded such "controversial" provisions from its 2016 Final Part C & D Rule. With this week's Part D Call Letter, CMS can finally close the book on a year in which millions of seniors feared their plans would be eliminated.

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"A few years ago lower cost preferred pharmacy plans were an innovation - today they comprise the very foundation of Medicare Part D. Over the past year, legislators and regulators have learned a lot about these popular plans and this week's CMS Part D Call Letter should assuage seniors who fear their plans might still be at risk," said PCMA President and CEO Mark Merritt.

A recent analysis of CMS Part D 2015 enrollment data by Drug Channels shows that 81 percent of seniors and disabled people chose lower-cost plans with preferred pharmacies that offer convenient access and extra discounts at certain pharmacies. According to the latest data, 15.4 million beneficiaries enrolled in prescription drug plans with preferred pharmacies.

Research and polling highlight the value of preferred pharmacies in Medicare:

Currently, most national Part D pharmacy networks include nearly all drugstores - almost 67,000 nationwide - giving beneficiaries access to more pharmacy locations than the combined number of McDonald's, Burger Kings, Pizza Huts, Wendy's, Taco Bells, Kentucky Fried Chickens, Domino's Pizzas, and Dunkin' Donuts across the country.

PCMA represents the nation's pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), which improve affordability and quality of care through the use of electronic prescribing (e-prescribing), generic alternatives, mail-service pharmacies, and other innovative tools for 216 million Americans.

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Cite This Page (APA): Pharmaceutical Care Management Association. (2015, February 19). Medicare Part D Popular Plans Face Final Hurdle in CMS Part D Call Letter. Disabled World. Retrieved September 22, 2023 from www.disabled-world.com/medical/healthcare/us-medicare/hurdle.php

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