Medicare Cuts back on drugs covered by Part D

Good time to re-check and see what is and what is not covered, especially if medications are non-generic...BD 

Medicare beneficiaries are likely to see a smaller number of drugs covered under their Part D insurance plans next year, as insurers have revised offerings and the government has culled hundreds of products from a list of approved drugs. On average, the number of drugs offered by the 10 insurers with the largest enrollment shrank by 26% from this year to next, according to data analyzed by Washington consulting firm Avalere Health.

Two of the largest insurers UnitedHealth and Humana saw drops of 30% in some of their plans, from more than 3,750 drugs to just more than 2,620, Avalere's analysis shows. Even so, the two insurers still have among the largest drug lists of the 10 biggest insurers. The drop came mainly because of changes made by Medicare, which shrank the list of drugs it will pay for, culling those that have been pulled by the FDA, are no longer being made, had duplicative billing codes or were drugs deemed "less than effective" by the FDA.

USATODAY.com