CMS Proposes to Lower Drug Prices and Reduce Out-of-Pocket Drug Spending with Respect to Medicare Coverage

On Friday, November 30, 2018, the US Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a proposed rule (Proposed Rule) to revise Medicare Part D (Part D) and Medicare Advantage (MA) regulations to promote health plan negotiation of lower drug prices and to reduce out-of-pocket spending for enrollees. The Proposed Rule contains four areas of reform focusing on: (1) Plan Flexibility for Coverage of Protected Class Drugs; (2) Real-Time Coverage and Cost Information for Prescribers; (3) Step Therapy by MA Plans for Part B Drugs; and (4) Drug Price Adjustment at Point-of-Sale based on Pharmacy Price Concessions. You can read more about this here.