CMS Seeks To Ban Penalties for Buying Brand-Name Drugs
CMS has proposed a ban on reference-based pricing, a practice that lets private insurers charge Medicare beneficiaries penalties for choosing brand-name drugs instead of less expensive generic drugs. CMS originally supported the practice as a way to control costs but reversed its position after lawmakers and patient advocates argued that reference-based pricing makes it difficult for consumers to calculate drug costs.
- "Medicare Seeks To Ban Some Penalties for Picking Brand-Name Drugs" (Zhang/Fuhrmans, Wall Street Journal, 1/10).