Medicare patients who rely on "off-label" use of drugs for pain, rare diseases and other conditions are often barred from getting them through the new prescription drug program, says a patient advocacy group in a report out Thursday.
Under rules issued last year by the Bush administration for the Medicare Part D program, so-called off-label prescriptions written by doctors for their patients can be denied by insurers. "Off-label" means a drug is used to treat a condition for which it is not specifically approved by the FDA.
"For the first time in more than 40 years, we have a Medicare statute interpreted as not covering medically necessary care," says Robert Hayes, president of the Medicare Rights Center.
'Off-label' drugs denied to patients in Medicare D - USATODAY.com
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