Free At-Home Covid Tests Now Available For People On Medicare

AP: Medicare Enrollees To Get Free COVID-19 Tests At Drug Stores 
Amid worries that the latest coronavirus variant could spark another rise in cases, Medicare announced Monday that millions of enrollees will finally have access to free over-the-counter COVID-19 tests at drug stores. More than 59 million people with Medicare’s “Part B” outpatient coverage will be able to get up to eight free at-home tests per month, or enough for an individual to test twice a week, as some doctors have recommended. (Alonso-Zaldivar, 4/4)

The Hill: People On Medicare Can Now Get Up To 8 Free COVID-19 Tests Per Month
The new program goes into effect Monday. People on Medicare, including Medicare Advantage plans, will simply have to show their Medicare card at a participating pharmacy, and they can get the tests for free, with the pharmacy billing Medicare directly. Participating pharmacies include CVS, Walgreens, Walmart, Rite Aid and many major grocery chains. (Sullivan, 4/4)

In other Medicare news —

Stat: More Accessible Biosimilars Could Have Saved Medicare Part D Millions
Amid ongoing debate over biosimilar use in the United States, a new government analysis found that Medicare Part D spending on biologic medicines in 2019 could have been reduced by $84 million, or 18%, if they had been used more frequently — and beneficiaries themselves could have saved $1.8 million. The potential savings were minimized because not all Medicare Part D health plans covered biosimilars, which are nearly identical variants of pricey biologic medicines that yield the same health outcomes. And the health plans that did cover biosimilars “rarely encouraged” prescribing, the analysis noted. Instead, the plans favored costlier, brand-name biologics on formularies, or lists of covered medicines. (Silverman, 4/4)

Stat: Biden Admin Funnels Major Pay Increase To Medicare Advantage Insurers
The federal government is boosting the average payment to Medicare Advantage plans by 5% for 2023, higher than the 4.5% raise that was proposed in February. The increase is one of the largest ever for Medicare Advantage, and due largely to the expectation that more Medicare enrollees will get care that had been put off throughout the pandemic. The boost could spur even more health insurers to join Medicare Advantage or beef up their presence within the lucrative but controversial taxpayer-financed program, which is on pace to cost $450 billion next year — more than the Departments of Education and Agriculture combined. (Herman, 4/4)

Modern Healthcare: Hospital Prices For Health Plans Vary Widely Across The U.S., Study Finds
Regional healthcare markets across the country have experienced significant divergence in commercial-to-Medicare price ratios between 2012 and 2019, causing insurers to pay wildly different rates to hospital systems. In areas like Chico, California and Tacoma, Washington, private payers saw hospital price ratios increase by over 100 percentage points. On the other end of the spectrum, Gulfport, Mississippi had a decrease of 109 percentage points. Nationwide, hospital costs charged to commercial health plans averaged 173% of Medicare payment rates in 2012, and the national commercial-to-Medicare price ratio only increased to 180% in 2019, according to a recent RAND Corporation study. (Devereaux, 4/4)

Also —

Modern Healthcare: Study: Most Infected Heart Implants Aren't Removed, Leading To Patient Deaths
Doctors are not removing heart device implants that develop infections, putting patients' lives at risk, according to a study from Duke University. The study of more than one million Medicare patients who received a cardiovascular implantable electronic device over a thirteen-year period found only 18% of patients who developed a device infection eventually had their pacemaker or defibrillator removed. The American Heart Association recommends removing infected devices. The study's findings were presented at the 2022 American College of Cardiology Scientific Sessions. (Gillespie, 4/4)