Benefits?

Originally Published MX September/October 2002

BUSINESS NEWS

Benefits?

Medicare drug benefits will be high on the congressional agenda when lawmakers return from their August recess. Before going into recess, the Senate killed several plans that would have added a drug benefit to current Medicare coverage, including a $594 billion plan backed by Democrats and a $370 billion plan backed mainly by Republicans. With midterm congressional elections approaching rapidly, both parties have said that passage of drug coverage will be critical to their success.

In July, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS; Baltimore) released its first-ever report on the timeliness of the Medicare national coverage process. Excluding two emergency coverage decisions, it took CMS an average of 383 days to make and implement a coverage decision. The times ranged from 195 to 733 days. It can take the agency an additional two years or more to set payment rates for a new technology or service.

More than 20 consumer advocacy organizations and trade associations have joined to form the Coalition for Access to Medical Services, Equipment,