Sanders urges Biden to delay Medicare premium hike linked to Alzheimer's drug

[Klaralven]

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) is calling on the Biden administration to delay an increase in Medicare premiums for 2022 that is tied in part to a controversial, pricey Alzheimer's drug.

In a letter sent to President Biden on Friday, Sanders called on him to "prevent the outrageous increase in Medicare Part B premiums associated with the potential approval of the Alzheimer’s drug Aduhelm."

He said the administration should delay Medicare’s approval for use of Aduhelm until it is deemed safe and effective, and take executive action to reinstate and expand the reasonable pricing clause requiring drug makers that receive federal funding to charge reasonable prices for prescription drugs and treatment

Medicare Part B, which covers services like doctors office visits, will increase by $21.60, from $148.50 in 2021 to $170.10 in 2022. Officials said that is one of the largest increases in recent years.

About half of that increase is due to contingency planning to make sure the program has enough money to pay for Aduhelm if Medicare decides to cover it.

https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/584283-sanders-urges-biden-to-delay-medicare-premium-increase

[Walleye]

1. "The large print giveth and the small print taketh away" Tom Waits

[gab13by13]

2. Last I checked

there are 50 Senators who caucus with the Democrats. Don't look for the MSM to take up Bernie's cause, it is owned and managed by Big Pharma and Wall Street. Ever notice the barrage of Medicare Advantage commercials on cable news stations? Medicare Advantage is designed to cripple Medicare.

[wackadoo wabbit]

7. Thank you for posting this!

So many people are unaware of the fact that Medicare Advantage is basically a way of killing off true Medicare.

Here's a link for anyone who's interested:

https://hartmannreport.com/p/the-medicare-advantage-plan-to-kill

As the subhead reads: "If they can move more than half of Americans off traditional Medicare and onto these corporate plans, it’ll provide the political cover to kill off Medicare altogether — and they’re nearly there now."

[SheltieLover]

3. This increase will really anger seniors!

Cut the controversial $56k alzheimers drug coverage! Put ut in with drugs in Part D!

I needed a tetanus shot, guess what? NOT covered! $85 out of pocket.

But a $56k drug is covered under Part B?

Dems had better rectify this quickly.

[Klaralven]

4. It is administered by doctors as an intravenous infusion - not a Part D drug

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aducanumab

It should never have gotten FDA approval.

[SheltieLover]

5. I agree it should never have gotten approval.

[stopdiggin]

6. that the same 'treatment'

that has shown to be only marginally effective - at perhaps slowing the progress of the disease? I can understand how desperate people are for some kind of hope (a cruel disease, and been there) - but somebody did a monumental sales job on this one!

[Tree Lady]

8. So us retirees on a fixed budget

Get less money because one drug that might not work anyway?