This week was a busy one for Social Security and Medicare Advocates! There was considerable activity to combat the high cost of prescription drugs. The Ways and Means Committee had a hearing on the Social Security 2100 ...
Category: Medicare Part D Articles
Big Variation In Part D Costs Means Most Medicare Beneficiaries Overpay for Prescriptions
(Washington, DC) – A new analysis from The Senior Citizens League (TSCL) of 12 frequently - prescribed drugs illustrates that Medicare recipients frequently overpay for their medications. “Because Medicare doesn’t neg ...
Three Family Members On Medicare Each With High Drug Costs
Out-of-pocket spending on prescription drugs was the fastest rising expense of retirees from 2000 to 2019, according to a recent study of retiree costs by TSCL. While the annual cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) increase ...
Specialty Drugs Under Medicare Part D Nearly Two Times Higher Than Under Medicaid
Prices charged for the category of drugs known as “specialty medications” are exploding so quickly that they’re now a key source of concern for both consumers and Congress. Specialty drugs include those used to treat ca ...
Benefit Bulletin: May 2019
When You Can’t Afford Your Prescription Drug Costs, Apply for “Extra Help” Rick Delaney, Chairman, TSCL The high cost of prescription drugs has been the topic of recent Congressional hearings. The combination of h ...
Are These Annual Rx Prices Higher Than Your Entire Retirement Savings?
The total cost for a single year of treatment with the nation’s most expensive specialty drugs can cost more than the entire retirement savings for many retirees. The annual cost of the cancer drug Idhifa, for example, ...
Medicare Part D Coverage Gap Closes In 2019
While little progress was made this year to lower overall drug costs, some changes made by the Bipartisan Budget Act (BBA) of 2018 are helping an estimated 5 million Medicare beneficiaries with the highest annual out-of- ...
$1,800 Co-pay Sends Diabetic Searching For Better Options
Leslie R.’s biggest problem isn’t the fact that she’s 70, or that she’s trying to live on just Social Security and a small pension. Leslie is a type II insulin dependent diabetic, left with no savings after a battle wit ...
Can Medicare Save Money By Providing Better Dental Care?
By Mary Johnson, editor If you have an inflammatory disease like a chronic pulmonary condition, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, inflammatory bowel disease (IBS), or even sleep apnea, I have one piece of advice: Go ...
Brand Name Drugs Increasing at 10X Rate of Inflation
The largest share of participants in TSCL’s 2018 Senior Survey, 43%, say that medical expenses were their fastest rising cost in 2017. Just medications alone take about 12.6% of the budgets of Americans age 65 and over, ...
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