Federal Government Sabotages MA Attempt to Lower Medicaid Costs

[luckyshot]

Prescriptions drug prices have become a huge problem. They have doubled in some places in just the last decade. They bleed money out of state Medicare and Medicaid programs and, therefore, take money away from things like schools, roads, infrastructure, etc.

Massachusetts had a great idea to lower Medicaid costs: exclude drugs that are significantly more expensive but aren't proven to work better than cheaper alternatives.

Unfortunately, the CMS (Center for Medicare and Medicaid Service) ain't feeling it. They just told MA-- without any real explanation-- that they couldn't do that if they wanted to continue getting any drugs at discounted Medicaid prices.

https://www.npr.org/sections/health...tates-drive-to-contain-medicaid-drug-spending

@JudoThrowFiasco I thought you might be interested in this since you often ask why more states don't experiment in providing UHC... Part of the reason is that they are reliant on Federal funding and, therefore, beholden to federal rules.

We really need a federal system.

 

[Fluffernutter]

Any comment from Mitt?

 

[luckyshot]

Any comment from Mitt?

He likes Utah.

 

[jx820]

Those lobbying dollars really pay for themselves.

 

[lilelvis]

Fed's are fucking this up, so we need more Federal control... Makes sense.

Good thing we let big pharma craft the ACA..

 

[Beechwood]

That is an older idea, to have newer drugs be tested against older drugs, to find out which is more effective. Or another idea is to only approve a drug if it tests better/ is more effective against existing approved drugs. It is a good idea I believe but it will never be approved is my guess.

The problem of course is that drug companies do not test their products against each other. Or if a test is done, the testing is rigged basically to favor a particular pharmaceutical.

Another problem sometimes mentioned is that most drugs approved these days are basically copies of older drugs with slight variation. Different people have different ideas on how many new and inventive drugs have come to the market, but one example, former New England Journal of Medicine editor, Dr. Marcia Angell believes between 1995 and 2005 (when she published her book) only 12 inventive new medications were approved. Naturally others have different ideas. Dr. Angell's book can be seen here ~

The Truth About the Drug Companies: How They Deceive Us and What to Do About It

https://www.amazon.com/Truth-About-...preST=_SY291_BO1,204,203,200_QL40_&dpSrc=srch

What would be nice is if doctors were to only prescribe lower costs, effective medications. Most do from what I've read. There are some doctors though, often sighted due to bonuses received, that will prescribe the more costly medications.

 

[Quequeg]

"better cheaper healthcare for everyone, believe me!"

 

[zebby23]

"better cheaper healthcare for everyone, believe me!"

It will be great. Believe me