The Kaiser Network reports the release of two Medicare prescription drug studies. One study found that over 25 percent of Medicare drug plans increased copayments and prices for beneficiaries in 2006, despite the fact that beneficiaries were locked into the plans for the year.
According to the Consumers Union, which issued the study, some private insurance plans raised prices by 5 percent or more last year. One plan reportedly raised costs by almost 30 percent. From Consumers Union:
Beneficiaries also might be in for a shock in 2007. During the one-month period from January to February 2007 – right after beneficiaries locked into a plan for the calendar year – 95 percent of the sampled plans increased their costs by some degree for the package of five widely used prescription drugs. Of those, 21 percent hiked costs by 5 percent or more in that one-month period.
According to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services acting administrator Leslie Norwalk, the study appears to be much ado about nothing. “Approximately 90% of Part D beneficiaries pay co-pays that do not fluctuate during the year. These consumers are generally shielded from any price changes.â€
Download a PDF copy of the study here.
The second study, which examined language services, found that Medicare drug program beneficiaries with limited English proficiency received customer support in their primary language 55 percent of the time. You may download a PDF copy of the report here.
