Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Medicare Recipients Will Get $200 Card For Prescriptions, Trump Says
The Washington Post: Trump Pledges To Send $200 Drug Discount Cards To Medicare Recipients Weeks Before Election; Funding Source Unclear
President Trump unexpectedly announced Thursday that his administration will send $200 discount cards to 33 million older Americans to help them defray the cost of prescription drugs — appealing to a significant voting constituency weeks before the November elections. The president tucked the announcement into a speech that he portrayed as his health-care vision, without including specifics about how the government would pay for it or which of the nation’s Medicare recipients would receive it. White House officials said the price tag, about $7 billion, could be paid for through an experimental program to lower Medicare drug prices that remains merely a proposal. (Goldstein, Abutaleb and Dawsey, 9/24)
Business Insider: Trump Says Seniors Will Receive $200 Medicare Cards Without Going Into Details
President Donald Trump said on Thursday many Americans enrolled in Medicare will receive a $200 card in the mail in several "weeks" so they can better afford prescription drugs — a brazenly political effort to gain stronger support among seniors before Election Day. "Nobody's seen this before. These cards are incredible," Trump said at an event aimed at touting the administration's health record. "The cards will be mailed out in coming weeks. I will always take care of our wonderful senior citizens." (Zeballos-Roig, 9/24)
Fox Business: Trump To Give Medicare Beneficiaries Checks To Pay For Medicines
Trump said the cards will be mailed out in the coming weeks and indicated the money is available because of savings that will be reaped from other policies in his broader plan. It has recently been reported that Medicare beneficiaries may not be able to receive a potential coronavirus vaccine cost-free if it is approved for emergency use. The program does not cover drugs approved via emergency authorizations. The White House is said to be looking at ways to ensure coverage for a vaccine, which is intended to be free for all Americans. (De Lea, 9/24)
Stat: Trump Promises Seniors $200 Prescription Drug Gift Certificates
Trump’s promise comes less than six weeks before Election Day, and represents the latest step in his administration’s (and his campaign’s) efforts to amass health care talking points, even if their actions do little to save Americans money. The administration is getting its authority to ship the coupons from a Medicare demonstration program, a White House spokesman told STAT in a statement. The nearly $7 billion required to send the coupons, he said, would come from savings from Trump’s “most favored nations” drug pricing proposal. That regulation has also not yet been implemented — meaning the Trump administration is effectively pledging to spend $6.6 billion in savings that do not currently exist. The cards, he said, would be “actual discount cards for prescription drug copays.” (Facher and Florko, 9/24)
In other Medicare news —
Modern Healthcare: Medicare Advantage Premiums To Fall As Enrollment Grows
Monthly premiums for Medicare Advantage plans are expected to decrease again in 2021, as enrollment in the privatized version of traditional Medicare climbs.CMS said Thursday evening that average Advantage premiums will fall about 11% to an estimated $21 from $23.63 this year. Only about two-thirds of Advantage enrollees pay a premium for the coverage, however, and most members still pay a Medicare Part B premium, which was $144.60 this year. (Livingston, 9/24)
Tampa Bay Times: Are Medicare Advantage Plans Worth The Risk?
About 1 in 3 people 65 and older in the United States enroll in Medicare Advantage, the private insurance alternative to traditional Medicare. It’s not hard to see why: Medicare Advantage plans often cover stuff that Medicare doesn’t, and most people don’t pay extra for it. But Medicare Advantage can be more expensive if you get sick because copays and other costs can be higher, says Katy Votava, president of Goodcare.com, a health care consultant for financial advisors and consumers. (Weston, 9/22)
