Sep 21 2011
CQ HealthBeat: Study: Expect Big Monthly Premium Hike Next Year In Most Popular Medicare Rx Plans
Although monthly premiums will go down next year for Medicare prescription drug coverage on average, seniors in the most popular plans will see sizable jumps -; notably a 14 percent hike for the 4.7 million in United Healthcare's plans, a new study says. Its message: You better shop around. "Commercial plans are aggressively positioning to obtain the advantage in Medicare markets, and it will show in 2012 enrollment," said Dan Mendelson, CEO of Avalere Health, which conducted the study. "The reduction in average premiums -; resulting from the entrance of new generic drugs, pharmacy cost containment measures, and market competition, will benefit both savvy consumers and the Medicare program" (Reichard, 9/19).
This article was reprinted from kaiserhealthnews.org with permission from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. Kaiser Health News, an editorially independent news service, is a program of the Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonpartisan health care policy research organization unaffiliated with Kaiser Permanente. |