Plans buy into insulin savings model
By HME News Staff
Updated Wed May 27, 2020
WASHINGTON - More than 1,750 standalone Medicare Part D prescription drug plans and Medicare Advantage plans with prescription drug coverage have applied to offer lower insulin costs through the Part D Senior Savings Model for 2021. Across the nation, participating enhanced Part D prescription drug plans will provide Medicare beneficiaries access to a broad set of insulins at a maximum $35 co-pay for a month's supply from the beginning of the year through the Part D coverage gap. Based on CMS's estimates, beneficiaries who use insulin and join a plan participating in the model could see average out-of-pocket savings of $446, or 66%, for their insulins, funded in part by manufacturers paying an estimated additional $250 million of discounts over the five years of the model. CMS anticipates beneficiaries will have Part D plan options in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico, through either a standalone prescription drug plan (PDP) or a Medicare Advantage plan with prescription drug coverage. Beneficiaries will be able to enroll during Medicare open enrollment, which is from Oct. 15, 2020, through Dec. 7, 2020, for Part D coverage that begins on Jan. 1, 2021. The Part D Senior Savings Model—which was announced on March 11, 2020—is a voluntary model that tests the impact on insulin access and care by participating Part D enhanced alternative plans offering lower out-of-pocket costs.
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