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Issue Brief: Medicare Drug Plans Exclude Coverage for Many Drugs in the ‘Protected Classes’

2/27/2019

 
Analysis of Medicare claims data reveals that Medicare Part D plans only cover about two-thirds of drugs in the ‘six protected classes,’ often excluding brands when there is a generic alternative.
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​Medicare prescription drug plans only provide coverage for a select group of drugs — that list of drugs they cover is commonly known as a formulary. These formularies provide plans the ability to exclude coverage of certain medications while favoring others, which they often use as leverage to negotiate discounts from drug manufacturers.  These same principles apply within Medicare’s “six protected classes” of medications, even as guardrails help ensure patients with the most complex conditions (ex. mental illness, cancer, HIV, organ transplants, epilepsy) have access to a broader selection of treatments than is available under the standard Medicare benefit.


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Bipartisan Mental Health Caucus Members Urge HHS to Abandon Changes to ‘Six Protected Classes’

2/25/2019

 
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In a letter to Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar, House Mental Health Caucus Co-chairs Grace Napolitano (D-NY) and John Katko (R-NY) urged HHS not to move forward with harmful changes to Medicare’s Six Protected Classes Policy. The bipartisan letter — signed by 39 House members — states that the proposed changes are “particularly worrisome” for Medicare beneficiaries living with mental illness, noting that the change “directly targets” some of the program’s most vulnerable populations. “CMS has stated that patients will be able to use the lengthy appeals and exceptions processes to gain coverage for medicines if plans deny access to needed medicines,” the letter states. “However, those processes are difficult for patients to navigate and are likely to become overwhelmed with patients desperate to stay on the medicines they have been using to successfully manage complex conditions.” 


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Congressional Briefing on Medicare's Six Protected Classes Policy

2/25/2019

 
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​Please join the Partnership for Part D Access for a congressional briefing on Wednesday, March 13 to discuss the importance of maintaining beneficiary access to the full range of available medications under Medicare’s “Six Protected Classes.


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Fact Sheet: Azar Outlines Concerns With the Use of Step Therapy for Patients Stabilized on an Effective Treatment

2/18/2019

 
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​In a February 12 speech before the American Medical Association (AMA), HHS Secretary Alex Azar acknowledged the dangers inherent in requiring step therapy for patients who are already stabilized on an effective regimen of medications. Interestingly, his remarks seemed to run counter to his agency’s current proposal to weaken Medicare’s successful “six protected classes” policy. A new fact sheet from the Partnership sheds light on these comments and provides background on their application to the six protected classes policy. 


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