But soon, the Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit will put the U.S. government in the business of providing prescription drug coverage.
And they knew that the Medicare prescription drug benefit, which gave earnings a nice tailwind at first, would stop being such a boon.
The Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit that went into effect this year pays industry health plans to cover the drug expenses of senior citizens.
If a Medicare prescription drug benefit is passed and the government buys drugs through PBMs, the price of widely used pills could decrease, Sylvester says.
Many medications are not covered by the Medicare prescription drug benefit.
In 2006, the Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit goes into effect, and that could mean the government, eventually, will be the main buyer for many prescription drugs.
Lucas votes with the White House more than almost any other Democrat in the House, and he backed Bush's tax cut and his plan for a Medicare prescription drug benefit.
They're very strong about changing the Medicare prescription drug benefit, giving people more benefits, and they want to do it by squeezing the prices that the drug companies can charge Medicare.
Lucas votes with the White House more than almost any other Democrat in the House, and he backed Bush's tax cut and the president's plan for a Medicare prescription drug benefit.
One reason Big Pharma performed so well this quarter: the new Medicare prescription drug benefit, which is enrolling a ton of senior citizens in privately run health plans paid for by the government.
The model has been tested in the real world, and it works: Not only does it already apply to members of Congress, it looks a lot like Medicare Advantage, whose private plans cover nearly a quarter of seniors, and the 2003 Medicare prescription drug benefit, whose premiums, amazingly for health care, won't increase by even a dollar next year.
WSJ: Joseph Rago: The Forgotten History of Ryan's Medicare Reform
He has a startling record of assembling hair-thin majorities for ticklish pieces of legislation, such as on Medicare prescription-drug benefit in 2003.
Medicare's first prescription drug benefit, created late last year for 40 million people, will make it optional--but not mandatory--for seniors to order drugs through the mail.
More directly, we know premium support payments already work well within Medicare Part D, the prescription drug benefit, currently delivered via private plans that submit bids, while the government provides a defined contribution for Medicare beneficiaries.
FORBES: Let's Be Honest - Medicare is Insolvent And Doctors Soon Won't Accept It
He's built, Thomas is the one who put the prescription drug benefit to Medicare.
Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, the top Republican on the Senate Finance Committee, talked about the challenges ahead in pushing through presidential "fast track" trade promotion authority and in crafting a prescription drug benefit for Medicare, something GOP pollsters say is essential to complete before the next election.
Last night, President George W. Bush passionately committed to fixing Medicare, especially to offering some kind of prescription drug benefit.
Jack mentioned the Medicare proposal that I have made to stabilize the Medicare trust fund till 2027, provide a prescription drug benefit that we can afford, and provide much more preventive services, which I think are very, very important.
Indeed, the 2003 Medicare reform pushed by the Bush administration added a prescription drug benefit for seniors with no funding mechanism.
The House earlier this year passed a GOP-backed Medicare prescription drug plan that encourages private insurance companies to provide the benefit with the incentive of government-provided subsidies.
CNN: On heels of Bush plan, Lott confident of congressional prescription compromise
Monday is the deadline for most Medicare beneficiaries to sign up for the program's new Prescription Drug Benefit.
One productive Medicare program that must be kept intact is Part D, the prescription drug benefit program.
FORBES: How Do We Responsibly Reform Medicare And Avert the Fiscal Cliff?
He has also proposed making wealthier Medicare beneficiaries pay more for their benefits starting with the new prescription drug benefit.
The last time an election was so close, the issues were a bit different but Democrats were making CEOs nervous about how a drug benefit would be administered should Congress expand Medicare to cover prescription drugs for the elderly.
FORBES: Boss Pressure To Vote GOP Was Also Big Pharma Tactic In 2000
Matthews says that that 97% of seniors with a prescription drug benefit get it from one of four sources: a former employer, Medicaid, Medicare-funded HMOs that are already in existence or from Medigap, a supplemental insurance policy seniors buy with their own money.
应用推荐