Pew Study Concludes Changes to 'Six Protected Classes' Unlikely to Produce Savings

A new report from The Pew Charitable Trusts concludes that savings from the elimination of protected classes may be minimal within the context of total program spending. While the report notes that removing coverage requirements for some of the protected classes may provide Part D Plans with greater ability to negotiate rebates, “protected classes had low utilization of brand-name drugs without generic equivalents, limiting the potential savings from removing those drugs from formularies.” Additionally, the report correctly highlights the significance of the protected classes in ensuring patient access to medications, and concludes that “lack of adequate access to medications can in some circumstances increase costs to other Medicare programs through increased hospitalizations from complications or increased physician visits to manage medications.

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