US says Medicare drug costs lower than expected

	Tweet

The U.S. government’s net costs for Medicare prescription drug benefits are expected to total $30.5 billion in 2006, down from a previous estimate of $38.1 billion, officials said on Thursday.

The costs are lower than projections because competition between private drug plans has led to lower prices, more use of cheaper generic drugs and other savings measures, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said in a statement.

The government’s 10-year projected cost of the drug coverage also was lowered to $678 billion from an earlier estimate of $737 billion, CMS said.

“Costs are going down even as enrollment is going up,” Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt said in a statement. “This is good news for seniors, taxpayers and the Medicare program.”

The Medicare drug benefits that started last month have been controversial with both Democrats and Republicans. Many say the price is too high.

Thousands of seniors have had trouble getting their prescriptions filled under the program. Medicare officials say they are working to fix the glitches. 

RELATED STORIES:
Baby with ‘bucket list’ dies   Hispanics Encouraged to Become More Involved in Their Health Care   Cost to treat heart disease in United States will triple by 2030   Investigators identify successful weight control strategies for adolescents   More teens, young adults on phone while driving   UNICEF confirms measles in Aceh, fears dysentery   Alcohol kills over half of Russians in their prime   Israel to allow Arafat to leave his compound for medical treatment   To be good, sometimes leaders need to be a little bad   Truth Plea in row over hospitals   More men than women die of COPD, study hints   2 many txt msgs bad 4 yr health, Italian docs say

Comments

[ + Post Your Own ]

Now you're in the public comment zone. What follows is not Armenian Medical Network's stuff; it comes from other people and we don't vouch for it. A reminder: By using this Web site you agree to accept our Terms of Service. Click here to read the Rules of Engagement.

There are no comments for this entry yet. [ + Comment here + ]