​A recent article in STAT covered the Trump administration’s new proposal that would allow private Medicare plans to exclude coverage of certain drugs that are currently provided under the "protected classes" policy. The article cites concerns from groups including The Partnership for Part D Access, highlighting the importance of the policy in ensuring that Medicare beneficiaries with the most complex conditions have access to medications they need to manage their complex conditions. “As an essential patient safeguard in Part D, the protected classes stand as a guarantee that patients with the most complex conditions will have access to the full spectrum of medications under Part D," the Partnership states. 

An article in Inside Health Policy reports that seven senior groups are lobbying both Congress and CMS to retain rules that make plans cover all drugs in Medicare’s six protected classes. The article — citing a report by the Alliance for Aging Research, Caregiver Action Network, Caregiver Voices United, HealthyWomen, National Association of Nutrition and Aging Services Programs, Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease, and RetireSafe — notes that the six protected classes policy has been a safety net for some of the most medically fragile and vulnerable Medicare beneficiaries. “These requirements safeguard beneficiary access to treatment options and offer protection against plan designs that could discriminate by discouraging enrollment of people relying on protected classes of medicines,” the report states.