The modest increase of the monthly premium to $32 comes even as officials are concerned about the impact of expensive specialty drugs, such as Sovaldi, which cures hepatitis C but costs $1,000 a pill.
The Associated Press: Medicare Drug Premiums To Rise For 2nd Year
Medicare says premiums for prescription drug plans will rise in 2015 for the second year in a row. Officials said Thursday that Medicare’s average monthly drug premium will rise next year to $32. The modest increase of $1 a month comes amid worries over the future impact of costly new medications. Sovaldi, for example, cures hepatitis C but costs $1,000 a pill (7/31).
The Hill: Part D Premiums Stay Low Despite Fears Of Rising Drug Prices
Medicare Part D premiums are expected to stay pretty flat in the next few years, according to a new report, despite concerns with rising cost of specialty drugs. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said it estimates the premium for a basic Medicare Part D plan will only go up $1 next year to a total of $32. For the past four years the average premiums for Medicare Part D plans have been between $30 and $31. (Al-Faruque, 7/31).
This article was reprinted from kaiserhealthnews.org with permission from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. Kaiser Health News, an editorially independent news service, is a program of the Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonpartisan health care policy research organization unaffiliated with Kaiser Permanente.