Drugmakers warned against giving coupons to Medicare beneficiaries

While brand-name drugmakers regularly use coupons to boost sales, it is illegal to induce Medicare Part D enrollees to use them. Meanwhile, a researcher asks members of the public how they would fix Medicare.

The Wall Street Journal's Pharmalot: Did Someone Say Kickbacks? HHS Warns About Medicare Part D Coupons
Brand-name drug makers regularly use coupons to woo consumers and boost sales. But inducing Medicare Part D beneficiaries to use coupons is illegal. So drug makers are supposed to use safeguards to ensure these consumers do not use coupons to obtain prescription medicines (Silverman, 9/22).

Modern Healthcare: Medicare Gives First Glimpse Of ACO Quality Performance
The CMS for the first time publicly released individual performance data for Medicare accountable-care organizations on 33 measures of healthcare quality (Evans, 9/22).

Kaiser Health News: Capsules: How To Fix Medicare? Ask The Public
Washington is full of ideas to overhaul Medicare. Some would increase the program's eligibility age, others would charge higher-income beneficiaries more for their coverage. There's movement to link payment to the quality -; rather than the quantity -; of care delivered. Marge Ginsburg decided to ask ordinary Americans how they would change the federal entitlement program (Carey, 9/23).