Medicare Part B Drug Reform and Beyond

This project will explore the Federal Register's proposal in the Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM), how it and alternative formulations might work, and the potential to extend drug-pricing reform beyond Medicare Part B. The team will use the ANPRM linking Part B drug reimbursement to prices in other countries as a point of departure for the analysis. Specifically, the project will produce three blogs that focus on: 1) potential effects in the U.S. and other countries of significant reductions in Medicare Part B reimbursement on drug prices and access under the approach outlined in the ANPRM and modifications to that approach; 2) alternative approaches for using Medicare vendors for the distribution of Part B drugs, including a discussion of the ability of competitive mechanisms vs. price controls to lower drug costs; and 3) prospects for expanding proposed Part B reforms to lower Medicare Part D and commercial drug prices. The authors will review relevant literature, interview experts in the field (including stakeholders and potentially government officials in other advanced countries), and draw on their own analytical skills.