CMS Actuaries: Part D Spending Jumps 17.3%, Highest In History Of Drug Benefit

CMS actuaries projected Medicare Part D spending increased 17.3 percent last year, which would be the biggest growth rate in the history of the drug benefit, and they projected that Medicaid spending on drugs increased 23.3 percent. Drug spending growth has gained a lot of attention this year as data comes in from 2014, the first full year for which breakthrough hepatitis C cures were on the market. In March, pharmacy benefit manager IMS Health Holdings estimated 13 percent growth,...