Very important move for everyone on Medicare. Thanks to @BernieSanders for pushing hard on this

[Donkees]

Very important move for everyone on Medicare. Thanks to
@BernieSanders for pushing hard on this, and to former FDA commissioners for blowing the whistle

Link to tweet

[House of Roberts]

1. What does the price of ANY drug have to do with Part B?

I thought prescription drug coverage was in Part D.

[MineralMan]

3. Since that medication is given by infusion at the doctor's office,

it falls under Part B. It is considered to be a treatment, not a drug. A technical point, but that's why.

[House of Roberts]

13. Thanks for the help.

In that case, it shouldn't fall under the 'no price negotiation' under the creation of Part D.

[Donkees]

5. Excerpt: Medicare Part B Premium Increase for 2022 Largest Ever

Medicare Part B Premium Increase for 2022 Largest Ever

“Once again, American seniors and taxpayers will pay the price for the outrageous pricing behavior of big drug companies,” said Bill Sweeney, AARP senior vice president for government affairs. “When Big Pharma sets a high drug price, everyone pays for it — not just those who need the medications. That’s why Congress must act swiftly to pass prescription drug reforms in the Build Back Better Act, which would bring meaningful, much-needed relief to seniors and all Americans.”

https://www.aarp.org/health/medicare-insurance/info-2021/part-b-premiums-increase.html

[dumbcat]

2. A little hint as to what this means

would be helpful.

[MineralMan]

6. Medicare Part B premiums are deducted from your Social Security

payment each month. That went up for the 2022 year. Apparently, Sanders is trying to get that increase rolled back.

See my post above for why that drug is a part B issue.

[Donkees]

7. Start here...

Sanders Sends Letter to Biden Urging Delay in Medicare Premiums Increase
December 3, 2021


WASHINGTON, Dec. 3 – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) on Friday sent a letter to President Biden urging his administration to delay an increase in Medicare premiums coming in 2022 following the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) approval of the outrageously expensive Alzheimer’s drug Aduhelm, which costs $56,000 per person each year.

“This is a perfect example of why Medicare should be negotiating drug prices with the pharmaceutical industry,” wrote Sanders. “Unless you take action soon, the standard monthly Medicare Part B premium paid by some 57 million beneficiaries will increase by 14.55 percent (from $148.50 to $170.10) beginning next year. This $21.60 a month increase in Medicare premiums would be the largest in the 56-year history of Medicare and it could not come at a worse time for older Americans all over this country who are struggling economically.”

Biogen, the manufacturer of Aduhelm, has set the price of this Alzheimer’s drug at $56,000 even though the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review, an independent non-profit organization, has estimated that the maximum price of this drug should be no higher than $3,000-$8,400.

As Biogen seeks to make exorbitant profits, 10 out of 11 experts on the FDA’s advisory committee voted against approving Aduhelm. The Veterans Health Administration has announced that it would not be covering Aduhelm due to safety concerns and the “lack of evidence of a robust and meaningful clinical benefit,” and at least a half a dozen private health insurance companies have also decided not to cover Aduhelm.

Despite the concerns in the scientific community and the outrageous price, over the summer the FDA approved Aduhelm for use in the United States. The result is that Medicare, which covers all FDA-approved drugs, will increase Part B premiums on January 1, 2022 in order for the program to afford the new treatment. As a result of the approval in June, three members of the FDA’s advisory committee resigned in protest.


https://www.sanders.senate.gov/press-releases/news-sanders-sends-letter-to-biden-urging-delay-in-medicare-premiums-increase/

[70sEraVet]

10. That last line sure sounds as if a reexamination of FDA's is warranted.

"As a result of the approval in June, three members of the FDA’s advisory committee resigned in protest."

[Donkees]

11. Sen. Sanders opposed the nomination of the new FDA commissioner...

Sanders Opposes Califf for FDA Commissioner
December 14, 2021

“At a time when the American people pay the highest prices in the world for prescription drugs and as drug companies continue to be the most powerful special interest in Washington, we need leadership at the FDA that is finally willing to stand up to the greed and power of the pharmaceutical industry. Not only have the drug companies spent over $4.5 billion on lobbying and hundreds of millions of dollars in campaign contributions over the past 20 years, they also have created a revolving door between the FDA and the industry. Shockingly, nine out of the last ten FDA Commissioners went on to work for the pharmaceutical industry or to serve on a prescription drug company’s board of directors.


Unfortunately, Dr. Califf is not the exception to that rule. After leaving the FDA in 2017, he received consulting fees from Merck, Biogen and Eli Lilly. According to his financial disclosure form, he owns up to $8 million in the stocks of major drug companies. That is exactly the close relationship Big Pharma has exploited to regulate the FDA, instead of the FDA regulating them.''

https://www.sanders.senate.gov/press-releases/news-sanders-opposes-califf-for-fda-commissioner/

[Donkees]

8. Latest on Jan 10, 2022 ...

WASHINGTON — Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra on Monday took the highly unusual step of ordering Medicare to reconsider a historic hike in premiums after Biogen slashed the price for its controversial Alzheimer’s drug in half.

“With the 50% price drop of Aduhelm on January 1, there is a compelling basis for CMS to reexamine the previous recommendation,” Becerra said in a written statement.

Medicare in November announced the program’s largest-ever premium increase for 2021, citing a uncertainty around the cost of Aduhelm, a new therapy for Alzheimer’s that has stoked controversy because of its questionable clinical benefit, high price, and potentially serious side effects.

Biogen cut the price of Aduhelm from $56,000 per year to $28,200 in December after dismal uptake of the drug. A number of prominent academic medical centers have refused to administer the drug.

Democrats in Congress have pressed Becerra to pressure Medicare to reconsider its premium decision as the midterm elections loom later this year and President Biden’s massive domestic spending package that would lower some health care costs has stalled.

https://www.statnews.com/2022/01/10/becerra-medicare-aduhelm-reconsider-price/

[dalton99a]

4. Kick

[Me.]

9. Did It All By Himself Did He?

[Sinistrous]

12. No. He never claimed he "did it all by himself "

[Donkees]

14. *

[Emile]

15. +1