Managed Care Plan Beneficiaries To Pay More Under Medicare Drug Benefit

The new Medicare prescription drug benefit will cost "substantially more" for people currently enrolled in managed care plans such as Kaiser Permanente's Senior Advantage, the Modesto Bee reports.

According to the Bee, beneficiaries enrolled in managed care health plans will experience increased prescription drug copayments and premium costs.

For example, under new Senior Advantage benefits, modeled after Medicare Part D, beneficiaries will face a coverage gap and will pay between $2,250 and $3,600 in out-of-pocket costs before catastrophic coverage begins. In addition, copays will triple in cost to $30 for a 100-day supply of a generic medication and $40 for a 30-day supply of a brand-name medication when Medicare Part D starts Jan.1.

Denise Hanson, director of Medicare and state programs for Kaiser, said Senior Advantage plans represent "an improved benefit" that does not charge patients the $250 annual deductible in the standard Medicare drug benefit. She added that an estimated 15% of beneficiaries would be affected by the coverage gap (Carlson, Modesto Bee, 12/21).

Additional information on the Medicare drug benefit is available online.