There is still the possibility, albeit small, that some Medicare beneficiaries will receive money to help them pay for prescription drugs.
Nearly three months after President Donald Trump announced his intention to send $ 200 drug discount cards to millions of people on Medicare, the stalled plan has removed a major hurdle: an industry group that guarantees compliance the regulations governing health care cards gave their approval Monday night, according to a report published in Politico.
While the group’s blessing was necessary for the idea to move forward, there are still other complications. For example, the administration would need a plan to let approximately 39 million recipients know the cards are arriving and it is not known how many could be sent before Trump’s term ends.
“As a practical matter, there is not much time for that [the government] to achieve this, especially given other pandemic-related priorities, “said Tricia Neuman, executive director of the Kaiser Family Foundation’s Medicare policy program.
The Biden administration, which takes office on January 20, is not expected to support the cards, which have received criticism for their cost ($ 7.9 billion) and questionable legality.
Trump pushed his foreground during a campaign speech in Charlotte, North Carolina, in late September. The White House has said the cards would be paid under a Medicare program that is generally intended to test innovations to reduce prices or improve health care.
In this case, the idea would be to measure whether the extra money would improve a person’s ability to take medication as prescribed, because they could pay for it better. In Medicare, there is no out-of-pocket spending limit for the costs of Part D prescription drugs. However, lower-income recipients already receive additional help and appear to be excluded from this proposal.
“Right now, a $ 200 drug card seems more like a party favor than a serious attempt to address drug costs or try strategies to improve adherence to a drug regimen,” Neuman said.
Neither the White House nor the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services responded to requests for comment.
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