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Yet another report showing how much less the VA pays for prescription drugs than Medicare Part D, even accounting for rebates.
The report was requested from GAO by Bernie Sanders. It's worth a read, as it goes through the major limitations in comparing Medicare to VA prices. 1/ https://twitter.com/charlesornstein/status/1349803192930992136
The report was requested from GAO by Bernie Sanders. It's worth a read, as it goes through the major limitations in comparing Medicare to VA prices. 1/ https://twitter.com/charlesornstein/status/1349803192930992136
We've written about this before, several times.
In 2019, we looked at the top 50 oral medications in Part D and found 58% lower VA unit prices and $14billion in potential savings using VA prices, accounting for rebates. 2/ https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2720124
In 2019, we looked at the top 50 oral medications in Part D and found 58% lower VA unit prices and $14billion in potential savings using VA prices, accounting for rebates. 2/ https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2720124
The Senate Homeland Security and Govt Affairs Committee did a similar analysis and found substantial savings in substituting VA prices in Medicare Part D
3/
https://www.hsgac.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/REPORT-Manufactured%20Crisis-How%20Better%20Negotiation%20Could%20Save%20Billions%20for%20Medicare%20and%20America's%20Seniors.pdf
3/
https://www.hsgac.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/REPORT-Manufactured%20Crisis-How%20Better%20Negotiation%20Could%20Save%20Billions%20for%20Medicare%20and%20America's%20Seniors.pdf
In a study looking just at inhalers, @wbfeldman and @akesselheim find Medicare would have spent 57% less using a VA formulary and prices.
4/ https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2756236
4/ https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2756236
(wow that is some visual abstract @JAMAInternalMed put together in the link above)
And @afrakt and colleagues did their analysis showing VA pays 40% less than Medicare for prescription drugs and did a nice write up in the Incidental Economist.
6/ https://theincidentaleconomist.com/wordpress/what-if-medicares-drug-benefit-was-more-like-the-vas/
6/ https://theincidentaleconomist.com/wordpress/what-if-medicares-drug-benefit-was-more-like-the-vas/
And finally, I like to point to my analysis from 12 years ago.
We found, using MEPS, that substituting FSS prices for the prices seniors currently paid for drugs would save......yes, 50%.
7/n
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs11606-008-0689-7
We found, using MEPS, that substituting FSS prices for the prices seniors currently paid for drugs would save......yes, 50%.
7/n
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs11606-008-0689-7
I wasn't going to do a whole thread, but then I thought there would be value in putting all these studies together.
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